Winner: Los Angeles Lakers
We can certainly question whether hiring an inexperienced former player to lead a team’s front office is a good idea. We can even question this if said individual is Magic Johnson, one of the greatest players in NBA history. When such a massive shake up is conducted days before the trade deadline, that’s magnified even further.
What we can’t question here is Johnson’s initial strike capability as the Lakers’ new president. Within hours of landing the job on Tuesday, Johnson traded super-sub Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for forward Corey Brewer and a 2017 first-round pick (more on that here).
Despite Williams’ scoring prowess (18.6 points per game), he’s 30 years old and was averaging less than 25 minutes per game for a 19-39 team. That’s some tremendous value to receive in return for Williams.
The Lakers’ ultimate goal is to land a superstar to team up with their young core. In fact, Paul George could potentially be in play here soon. But the team must build up its capital and create change from within before any top player will want to come to Los Angeles. It’s a model that worked well for the Golden State Warriors, and it appears the Lakers are following that to a T.
If so, sending away a 30-year-old reserve for a first-round pick is a nice initial move for Johnson. Williams didn’t figure into the team’s long-term plans. This trade also enables youngster Brandon Ingram to see the court more, which has to be the Lakers’ biggest goal moving forward on the season.