When the Los Angeles Lakers make their free agent pitches this offseason, it will be Magic Johnson leading the way.
The Lakers are expected to pursue LeBron James and Paul George.
“You tailor your message to the individual,” Johnson said. “You have to know what’s important to them and how we can help them achieve their goals, on and off the court, but especially on. You also have to tell them how special this is and what it means. Face of the Lakers, nothing competes with that. You’re great here, you win here, it’s forever. It’s magical. It brings you so many things you can’t even see or imagine. Here I am, almost 60, and I’m still the prince of the city.”
Johnson believes this season was a success.
“We had to show that we have really good young players, and we did that,” Johnson said. “That’s what guys and their agents want to see: ‘If I put my talent with your talent, can we win?’ I think we proved you can.”
While the Lakers have been compared to the early Oklahoma City teams and also the 2010 Heat with their cap space, Johnson also likes the Boston blueprint.
“Kyrie Irving got with young, talented players,” Johnson said. “It’s not that you have to have a Big Three anymore. You have to have young horses to go with a superstar or two.”
