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After years of striking out in NBA free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers were finally able to make a substantial move by bringing in a legitimate superstar in LeBron James. The three-time NBA champion has agreed to a four-year deal with the team and will be the building block for the franchise for years to come.
On Tuesday, Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka sat down for an interview with Spectrum SportsNet to talk about the signing of LeBron. Johnson said one of the many things that impressed him about James was the fact he knew the team’s roster inside and out from last season, via Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Bresnahan.
Magic Johnson on his meeting with LeBron:
“The thing I was really impressed with was he knew every single guy, their strengths and weaknesses, on our team, and he was really excited about how the young guys performed last season.”
Full interview w/ Magic at 3 pm on @SpectrumSN
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 10, 2018
Outside of a blockbuster trade before the 2018-19 NBA season, the Lakers roster is relatively intact from last year in terms of their talented young core. Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart are all still on the roster with each one of these players motivated for a bright future in Los Angeles.
Johnson believes the addition of James will raise the level of play for all these young players in Los Angeles, via Bresnahan.
Magic on LeBron joining the Lakers: “When you have the greatest player in the world come join your organization, it raises everybody’s level of play. Rob and I. Jeanie Buss as the owner. And then it trickles down. So we’ve all got to raise our game to another level and we will.”
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 10, 2018
Along with the young core being intact except for Julius Randle who signed with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Lakers brass also signed a few veteran players. Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, and Lance Stephenson inked deals with the team to provide some playoff and championship experience alongside LeBron. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also re-signed with the team for the 2018-19 campaign.
With all the newcomers signed, including with incoming rookies Moritz Wagner and Svi Mykhailiuk, the Lakers know who they’ve got in place for next season. The first peek at this revamped will likely take place on Sept. 30 during the team’s first preseason game against the Denver Nuggets.