Nearly three weeks ago, Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson suddenly resigned to conclude the 2018-19 NBA season.
Since then, owner Jeanie Buss reportedly has ‘no plans’ to hire Johnson’s replacement, which has received much criticism.
Despite an opportunity to hire one of the best names in the league, Buss’ current plan reportedly involves general manager Rob Pelinka running the team’s front office.
As a result, the Lakers have not reached out to Golden State Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers and never reached out to New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, according to Sam Amick and Bill Oram of The Athletic:
According to sources, the Lakers never reached out to LeBron’s former general manager in Cleveland, David Griffin, before he agreed to join New Orleans. Sources also say that they haven’t reached out to the Warriors regarding general manager Bob Myers. Ditto for Jerry West, the Clippers consultant who told The Athletic recently that he wasn’t sure what his future held past this summer but who now appears likely to remain in his current role going forward.
When Johnson initially resigned, Buss and the Lakers had an opportunity for a fresh start by potentially hiring an outsider who had no previous ties to them. By hiring a new president of basketball operations first, he/she could have decided on Pelinka’s future and the team’s new head coach.
Instead, Pelinka is currently conducting the coaching search, which was the first sign of him gaining more power in the front office. While there are concerns, LeBron James is reportedly hoping they ‘get it right’ heading into Year 2 in Los Angeles.