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While Magic Johnson is not blaming LeBron James alone for the Los Angeles Lakers' disastrous 2021-22 season, he emphasized that the veteran forward should take responsibility for one major blunder that probably cost them a shot at the title.
LeBron Cost Lakers DeMar DeRozan
During his appearances on ESPN's “Get Up” and “First Take,” Johnson discussed about the current Lakers roster and why they underachieved this 2021-22. He was very particular about the team's failure to sign DeMar DeRozan in the offseason, which could have changed the trajectory of the team.
However, Johnson believes James is to be blamed for the Lakers passing on DeRozan and signing Russell Westbrook instead. He argued that had LeBron not started talking with Russ, the team would have not traded for him.
“The blame that he’s got to take is the fact that DeRozan ended up in Chicago and not with the Lakers. DeRozan wanted to play for the Lakers and when I got the call from his agent, [Aaron Goodwin], I called the Lakers, said, ‘Hey [DeRozan] wants to come home,'” Johnson explained on “Get U,” via FOX Sports.
“We could’ve made that deal. But when Russell and LeBron started talking, that’s when they nixed that deal and went with Westbrook… If you signed DeRozan and you only trade [Kyle] Kuzma for Buddy Hield, we would be playing in the Western Conference championship this year with those two guys.”
Magic Johnson then went on to “First Take” and talked about one of the biggest “What Ifs” in Purple and Gold history, highlighting what the Lakers roster would have looked like had the franchise made a move for DeRozan.
For Johnson, the Lakers could have kept the likes of Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, while trading Kyle Kuzma for Buddy Hield. Along with the trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and DeMar DeRozan, that roster is a championship contender.
“I called Rob [Pelinka] and said, ‘DeRozan wants to come play.' So I got out of the way… I went on vacation and the next thing I hear is we’re not gonna sign DeRozan but trade for Westbrook,” Johnson revealed on “First Take.”
“They had the Buddy Hield trade already done and then backed out of it. You have DeRozan and Hield, then you could’ve kept Caruso and KCP. Those guys are defenders. They’re on-ball defenders… We’d be competing for the Western Conference Finals.”
It is clear by now that the Russell Westbrook trade is a failure, with the team just unable to figure out how to get Westbrook to fit into their schemes. He is still a capable player as he has shown flashes of his former dominant self this campaign, but his chemistry with LeBron and AD was just not there.
Moreover, it didn't help that injuries plagued the team throughout the season.
Of course hindsight is 20/20. While it's easy to say now that the Lakers should have traded for DeRozan instead of Westbrook, no one really knows how DeMar would fit in as well. He has taken a leading role with the Chicago Bulls, but it's hard to say if he would have gotten the same role if he's back home in LA.
It's The Lakers' Front Office That Fumbled The Ball
For what it's worth, contrary to what Johnson said about James being the one to blame for the failed DeRozan chase, previous reports indicate that it's really the front office to blame.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, what really killed the deal with DeRozan was Rob Pelinka and the Lakers' refusal to give the veteran guard a three-year deal–something that he got from the Bulls.
James apparently thought it's a done deal as well, only to be shocked that the team is moving on away from DeRozan and shifting their focus on Russ.
DeRozan himself seemed to confirm that notion early in the season, emphasizing that it's the business side of things that stopped him from wearing Lakers colors. With that said, it seems to signify that LeBron has already succeeded in recruiting DeRozan.
“I felt like going to the Lakers was a done deal and that we were going to figure it out. I was going to come home” DeRozan told Yahoo Sports. “The business side of things just didn’t work out. A couple of things didn’t align. It didn’t work out. It’s just part of the business, part of the game. My next option was definitely Chicago. So, looking back at it, it worked out well.”
Regardless of who is to blame, though, the season is almost over. The Lakers still have a chance at the play-in, but their chances are slim to none. With that said, the task is quite clear for them come the offseason: revamp the roster.
