The Los Angeles Lakers plan on being big players in free agency this summer, and the confidence of the front office is extremely high.
President of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka are tasked with making a huge splash and returning the Lakers to their previous greatness.
That could come in the form of some big-name free agents this summer. The Lakers are expected to be serious pursuers of LeBron James and Paul George, and many believe they could land both. There are also big names available in 2019, such as Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson.
Johnson is clearly confident that the Lakers will sign someone and according to Bill Oram of The Athletic, said he will resign if he’s unable to deliver for the Lakers:
Just to be clear on the line Magic Johnson drew today:
"It's going to be a two summer thing for the Lakers. This summer and next summer. That’s it. If I can’t deliver I’m going to step down myself. She won’t have to fire me, I’ll step away from it, because I can’t do this job."
— Bill Oram (@billoram) June 26, 2018
This is a bold proclamation by Magic, but also possibly a sign that he knows he has something up his sleeve. The Lakers are believed by many to be the favorites to land both James and George this summer and he could believe he has that in the bag.
Nothing is guaranteed, however and things could always change. The team has already made it clear that if they fail to land a big name this summer they will simply move on to next summer in hopes of cashing in. Either way, Magic putting his job on the line is a serious notion.
Hopefully for the sake of Magic, and the Lakers, he comes through as that would likely mean the Lakers are right back in championship contention.
Former executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss made a similar declaration, and eventually faced repercussions after he was unable to follow through on bold promises.
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