Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson’s best moves of the 2018 offseason

The Los Angeles Lakers are now contenders due in large part to another offseason full of smooth moves by president of basketball operations Magic Johnson.

There may not have been a busier NBA team this offseason than the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite all of the trade rumors and negative speculation, Magic Johnson came out of the other end with a better roster and brighter outlook for the future.

The fact that he’s already delivered on his promise to sign a star helps. Now he doesn’t have to resign, as he claimed he’d do if he didn’t bring a superstar to Los Angeles by 2019 (via the LA Times‘ Tania Ganguli). Adding another big name to complement LeBron James would be ideal, but the first domino has officially fallen.

For now though, let’s not focus on what’s to come for the Lakers. Instead, let’s reflect on the moves Magic has made to put this club in position to contend. They may not be ready to push the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets for the Western Conference crown, but they’ll certainly be in the mix for a postseason appearance. We haven’t been able to say that since 2013.

So what were Magic’s best moves of the 2018 offseason? It’s easy to argue that there were more bad decisions than good ones, but it’s been a successful last few months.

So without further ado, here are Johnson’s three best offseason moves. Whether or not you’re a fan of the Lake Show, there’s no denying that the former Lakers legend has put together another outstanding offseason as the leader of this franchise.