There's no way to mention the history of the Los Angeles Lakers and exclude the great Magic Johnson. He's arguably one of the two best Lakers to ever don the Purple & Gold. While his accomplishments on the court have earned him the distinction as possibly the greatest PG to ever play the games, his front office skills resemble those of Micheal Jordan and Isiah Thomas.

In 2017, Johnson took the reigns as the President of Basketball Operations for the Lakers. While Rob Pelinka is the GM, it's Johnson who has stepped into the forefront as the face of the franchise. Now that he's one of the lead men in decision-making, the pressure is on him to lead the Lakers back to respectability.

The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling this year even with LeBron James. After making eight straight trips to the NBA Finals, his first season in L.A. will end with no trip to the playoffs at all. Is it a failure? Yes, it is. No matter how fans and media members slice it, LeBron is too good of a player to miss the playoffs.

But can all the blame be placed on the players?

The tough decisions are not made on the court but in the front office. This is why Jeanie Buss fired her brother and Mitch Kuptcup, right? She felt neither was doing their job and yet, all Johnson and Pelinka have done since taking the reigns is destroy what could have been a team to be recorded with.

Here are the 5 mistakes made by the Los Angeles Lakers since Magic Johnson became their leader.

Adding LeBron James

On paper, this was the best outcome for the Lakers. How could adding arguably the best player in the NBA be considered a bad move? For starters, LeBron is on borrowed time here. James is 34-years old. While his age would suggest he has some mileage left, he has also been to eight straight Finals. That alone is like adding three extra seasons to his legs.

Injuries have never been an issue with LeBron but as we've seen this year, he's breaking down. Johnson and Pelinka were hopeful that the addition of LeBron would change the dynamic of the team, but it may have been the opposite. Despite his success throughout his carer, LeBron does bring baggage that if he weren't him, any team could use as a red flag.

He's had coaches fired, teammates traded and just doesn't have that necessary urge to be a true leader. The Lakers saw an opportunity to add a big name, but they chose the wrong one.

Trading D'Angelo Russell

Lonzo Ball was the name everyone in L.A. wanted. He was the hometown kid with a game that mirrored Johnson's. But the problem was, the Lakers already had a PG in Russell. Despite Russell acting a bit immature while with the team, there was no denying the talent was there.

At the time, the Lakers were in complete rebuild mode. But then Johnson came in and decided that phase was over. He wanted a player like him thinking he could mold Ball while Kyle Juzma, Brandon Ingram, and James would bring back the “Showtime Days”. No. With Ball leading the charge, the Lakes have become worse. On the other side of the country, Russell has become an All-Star while the Nets are chasing a playoff seed this season with less talent.

Not Resigning Julius Randle

This is another case where Johnson made a huge error. James and Ingram play the same position. Even Kuzma can be seen as a SF. So, with the Lakers thin at the PF position, he let a young stud in Randle walk in free agency. The Lakers figured having three players with the same skill-set would get them over the top. All it did was slow the progress of Kuzma and Ingram.

Inside scoring has been one of the Lakers' issues this season. While Kuzma, Ingram, and James have done well on the boards, imagine what having Randle could have done for this team. While with the Pelicans, Randle has averaged 21.1 points and 8.8 rebounds while only starting half the season. During LeBron's successful run, he's always had a formidable post player by his side (Chris Bosh, Kevin Love). If the Lakers were serious about contention, then keeping Randle was more important than adding LeBron.

Being Too Cocky

For some reason, the Lakers did not learn or pay attention to the success of the Golden State Warriors or what the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets or the Boston Celtics have been able to accomplish this year. The Warriors have won without Kevin Durant. Where Johnson has failed is not trusting in his core players the same way the 76ers, Celtics, Bucks, and Nuggets have.

Johnson believed that other top name players would follow LeBron to the Lakers but that just wasn't the case. Paul George decided to stay in Oklahoma, Carmelo Anthony is still without a job, and Kahwi Leonard is enjoying his time in Toronto. All the Lakers could do was grasp for straws with Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Tyson Chandler.

Not everyone desires that supposedly iconic Los Angeles scene. Johnson believes it's the best in the NBA, but over the last 3-4 years, the organization has shown no signs of loyalty. Look at what they tried to do this season. Trade away almost their entire starting five for one player.

Not Trading LeBron For Anthony Davis

Why did Johnson and Pelinka not offer LeBron for Davis? I get that Kuzam, Ingram, and Ball are younger, but if the Lakers are looking to truly get on track, you keep a few of the young guys and move the aging veteran. A nucleus of Davis and LeBron could be good for a season or two but what happens when LeBron hits 36 and the team has no valuable draft picks and no young nucleus to help in the latter stages of his contract?

Moving James now for Davis would have benefited both teams. The Pelicans wanted a King's ransom which no team was willing to offer. If the Lakers would have given up LeBron to pair with Randle, Mirotic, and Jrue Holiday, maybe, just maybe a playoff run could have been spared. Instead, both teams have decided to put their stars on minutes restrictions and neither will make the playoffs.

Given their age and contributions, the Lakers would've been wise to make that trade. While LeBron has indeed accomplished more than Davis, he's younger and will fit better with Ball, Kuzma, and Ingram than LeBron has.