Magic Johnson is not exactly a personality that you would associate with the New York Knicks. Nevertheless, it is clear that the Los Angeles Lakers legend is extremely high on the Knicks as one of the brightest young teams in the NBA today.
In the mind of the great Magic Johnson, he firmly believes that the Knicks' success this past season will lead to superstars around the league wanting to head to New York:
“Superstars are gonna want to play here now (in New York),” Johnson said, via Alder Almo of Empire Sports Media. “I think because they made the run and got to the playoffs. And the city is alive about the Knicks, right? I think guys are now looking at and say, ‘Hey man, if I put myself in that lineup with Julius (Randle), (Immanuel) Quickley, (RJ) Barrett and on, and on. Hey, man, we could do something special.’ Because that’s what guys wanna see.”
Johnson did not drop any names, but he's well-aware of the goings-on around the league so this could be more than just a hunch from the five-time NBA champion.
Talking about championships, Magic was quick to point out that this remains to be the primary motivator for most superstars. New York will always be one of the top destinations no matter what, but now that they have championship potential, it makes this team far more attractive:
“If I put my talent with those guys, can we make a run for the championship? And that guy will talk to another guy and that’s how it’s gonna get started,” Magic added. “And Julius Randle, I think guys would want to play with him because he plays hard, he’s a team player. He’s tough and rough.”
The 2021 offseason is not going to be short of free-agent superstars with guys like Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul, and DeMar DeRozan leading the pack. The Knicks have also pulled off numerous blockbuster trades in the past, so perhaps another one could be in line this summer.
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