Lakers looking for Magic remedy

Struggling franchise turns to familiar face in time of crisis

LOS ANGELES - With the Lakers mired in the worst years in franchise history, owner Jeanie Buss has turned to former superstar Magic Johnson to lead them back to championship contention.

And she fired her own brother on Tuesday to do it.

Johnson has been put in charge of basketball operations after the owner dismissed general manager Mitch Kupchak and executive vice-president Jim Buss.

Former superstar point guard Magic Johnson is now in charge of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers after the team fired general manager Mitch Kupchak on Tuesday. AP

Jim Buss retains his ownership stake in the team, but his sister has final say under the structure set up by their late father, Jerry Buss.

She used that power to chart a new course for the 16-time NBA champion franchise, which has the league's third-worst record this season at 19-39.

The Lakers are almost certain to miss the playoffs for a team-record fourth straight season, and they posted the worst record in team history during each of the previous three years.

"It was such a hard to decision to make that I probably waited too long," Jeanie Buss said in an interview on Spectrum SportsNet, the Lakers' television network.

"For that, I apologize to Lakers fans. Now, with clarity and direction, and after talking with Magic, it was clear that a change was needed. And it has been made."

Just 19 days after Johnson returned to the Lakers in an executive role, the owner decided the Hall of Fame point guard will be the Lakers' decision maker in basketball operations despite no experience as a personnel executive.

Johnson is the Lakers' new president of basketball operations, reporting directly to the owner, and it appears he is moving quickly to surround himself with a team to help his transition.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, prominent agent Rob Pelinka has begun informing his clients that he plans to leave Landmark Sports Agency to become the Lakers GM.

The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the Lakers have not commented on the front-office search.

"The status quo wasn't acceptable," Jeanie Buss said. "It wasn't Lakers basketball. It wasn't what this organization stands for."

Johnson said he will put aside his numerous business obligations and his role with the Los Angeles Dodgers, in which he holds an ownership stake, to concentrate on his work with the Lakers.

The charismatic former superstar spent the morning fielding calls from general managers around the league and preparing for the trade deadline in two days.

"I'm coming back to an organization that I love," Johnson said.

"The timing is right. It was time to put aside my businesses and focus on the Lakers' business."

The Lakers are expected to be sellers at Thursday's trade deadline, and Johnson acknowledged teams are very interested in high-scoring guard Lou Williams, who could fetch at least a first-round draft pick - something the Lakers might not have this year thanks to years of win-now trades by Kupchak and Jim Buss during the Kobe Bryant era.

Johnson also acknowledged the Lakers are involved in trade discussions for All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who was swapped from Sacramento to New Orleans earlier this week.

Los Angeles has plummeted out of contention after an encouraging 10-10 start under Luke Walton, but the rookie coach got a strong vote of confidence from Johnson, who said he "loves" Walton as a coach and an example of the Lakers' championship culture.

Kupchak is a former Lakers center who had been employed by the franchise in some capacity since August 1981.

He was the Lakers' GM since 2000, studying under Jerry West and eventually succeeding him.

Jim Buss had been in the Lakers' front office for 19 years, including 12 in charge of basketball operations alongside Kupchak.

The former horse trainer was widely seen as a dilettante when he moved into a job in the family business, but he worked to deserve the responsibility of making basketball decisions in recent years.

Yet the Lakers have steadily declined from the heights of back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.

The team hasn't made the playoffs since 2013, and has won only 84 of its past 386 games since.

The Lakers finished 17-65 last season, a franchise low in the last year of Bryant's two-decade run with the franchise.

Johnson has been a successful businessman and investor since his playing career ended, owning pieces of the Lakers, the Dodgers, the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and MLS expansion franchise LAFC.

He dropped his ceremonial title as a Lakers vice-president last June after frequent public criticisms of Jim Buss and former coaches. He also sold his ownership stake in 2010.

The Lakers' recent ineptitude didn't hurt their place as Los Angeles' most beloved sports franchise and a worldwide brand, and they finally have a talented young core with D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson. But they haven't been able to translate that potential into wins despite playing an exciting style under Walton.

Williams taking his shootin' eye to Houston

The LA Lakers swung their first deal of the Magic Johnson era on Tuesday night, sending Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a future draft pick.

Brewer's agent Wallace Prather confirmed the terms of the trade, which were first reported by Yahoo! Sports.

Neither team immediately revealed the trade publicly.

"Thanx for the love LA, I've enjoyed my stay," Williams wrote on Twitter.

Williams led the Lakers in scoring at 18.6 points per game, playing off the bench. Brewer was averaging 4.2 points for Houston.

The trade came hours after the Lakers announced the firing of general manager Mitch Kupchak and put Johnson in charge of basketball operations - part of a massive front-office shake-up.

And while the draft pick will help the Lakers' future, the Rockets just got deeper.

Williams has scored more points off the bench than anyone else in the NBA this season - and Eric Gordon, the newly crowned 3-point shootout champion at All-Star weekend - is No 2 on that list.

Reserves have three games of 35 points or more in the NBA this season, all by Williams, all in a dazzling seven-day span in early December.

He had 40 points against Memphis, 38 against Utah and 35 against Phoenix.

Williams has also been to the playoffs six times with three different teams, seeing action in 41 postseason contests. He's under contract for $7 million next season.

Associated Press