Johnson takes charge in major Lakers shake-up
Guard Williams traded to Rockets for Brewer
LOS ANGELES: In a momentous organisational shake-up, the Los Angeles Lakers fired general manager Mitch Kupchak on Tuesday and put Magic Johnson, one of the greatest players in NBA history, in charge of the team’s front office as its president for basketball operations.
It was a stunning power play by Jeanie Buss, the team president and co-owner, who removed her brother Jim from his role as executive vice-president for basketball operations. Jim Buss will retain his ownership stake, Jeanie Buss said in a statement, but will no longer have any involvement in personnel decisions.
“I took these actions today to achieve one goal,” Jeanie Buss said in the statement.
“Everyone associated with the Lakers will now be pulling in the same direction, the direction established by Earvin and myself,” she continued, using Johnson’s given name. “We are determined to get back to competing to win NBA championships again.”
She added that a search for a new general manager — one who would report to Johnson — was underway.
Johnson, 57, has been involved with the organisation in various capacities for decades but has no direct experience actually running a team. In a statement, he described his new position as a “dream come true.”
He added: “We have a great coach in Luke Walton and good young players. We will work tirelessly to return our Los Angeles Lakers to NBA champions.”
But the Lakers, a marquee franchise that has foundered in recent seasons, have a long way to go before they will be capable of vying for a play-off berth, let alone be considered title contenders. In their first season under Walton, their record is 19-39, the third worst in the league. They have not made the play-offs since the 2012-13 season, the longest such drought in franchise history.
Johnson, a three-time Most Valuable Player during his Hall of Fame playing career with the Lakers, has maintained associations — both official and unofficial — with the team since he retired in 1996. (He did not play for four seasons, from 1991 to 1995, after he learned that he had HIV.) He briefly coached the Lakers during the 1993-94 season, but they went just 5-11 with him on the bench.
Johnson owned a share of the Lakers from 1994 to 2010 and after that retained a position as honorary vice president. But last year, after Johnson continued to run afoul of the league’s tampering rules for posting on Twitter about free agents, the Lakers stripped him of that title.
Meanwhile the Lakers have traded guard Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets, according to multiple media reports.
The Lakers are expected to receive a 2017 first-round draft pick along with forward Corey Brewer in exchange for Williams, who wrote on Twitter: “Thanx for the love LA, I’ve enjoyed my stay”.
Williams, 30, led the Lakers with an average of 18.6 points, 3.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game this season despite coming off the bench. He leads all NBA reserves in scoring average.