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As the primary shock factor of the Los Angeles Lakers' successful coup of LeBron James slowly dwindles, details of how the deal actually went through are now emerging. The latest news bit is that the mutual trust between James and Lakers president Magic Johnson played a big role in what is easily the most relevant signing of the Lakers since Shaquille O'Neal.
Some more context to the Magic-LeBron meeting Saturday night. LBJ was already strongly considering the Lakers but wanted to look Magic in the eye and see if they could find a trust before making a decision, per sources close to the situation.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 2, 2018
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne confirmed what many believed to be the case — that James considered Los Angeles to be his top prospect in the third installment of “The Decision.” However, what reportedly clinched the deal for Magic and the Lakers was a face-to-face meeting with LeBron, in which a reciprocal trust was established between the two parties.
The signing of James is without question the biggest and most important move of the Lakers' Magic Johnson era. With so many other teams in the running to sign arguably the best player of his generation, it was definitely not a walk in the park for Johnson and the Lakers front office.
By joining the Lakers, LeBron teams up with a very young group with through-the-ceiling potential. Guys like Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram all have the makings to be great but have yet to prove themselves at the highest level.
James could have opted to take the “easier route” by choosing the Houston Rockets, and joining forces with championship-caliber players in MVP winner James Harden and nine-time All-Star Chris Paul. Surely, the odds of a title with this group would have been more feasible as opposed to an unproven and untested Lakers side.
Then again, this will all change should the Lakers succeed in scooping up Kawhi Leonard in the next few days. Let's just hope Johnson is able to work his magic yet again.
