What in the World is Magic Johnson Doing?

Alright, let’s just get straight to the point here: why the hell are the Lakers about to trade their entire roster for Anthony Davis?

Well, there’s two main reasons for pushing for the deal now:

1) The Lakers have to be aggressive and likely overpay to get Davis now because Boston can get involved this summer. Boston has the best asset (Jayson Tatum) and arguably a better overall collection of assets than the Lakers. So, if you’re Magic Johnson, you need to overpay now to have any chance to get him. Also, is there such a thing as overpaying for Anthony Davis in his prime?

2) By acquiring Davis now, that’s one more playoff run that Davis and LeBron will have together. Even if most of the roster is gutted to get Davis, that duo itself will likely be enough to make the second round and probably the WCF. LeBron made the Finals last season with George Hill, JR Smith, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson; I don’t know about you, but I’d consider Davis an upgrade over those guys. And who knows, maybe Curry rolls an ankle and Golden State suddenly looks beatable.

Another aspect to consider is that the Lakers aren’t contending with this young core anytime soon. Ingram and Ball have shown flashes of brilliance, but are a couple years away from All-Star territory. Kuzma, at age 23, has basically reached his ceiling already; he’s a volume scorer who needs lots of shots and plays below-average defense. Sure, he’ll probably increase his efficiency a bit over the next few seasons, but that doesn’t help the Lakers win now.

There’s also the multiple draft picks to consider. But who cares about a 2023 first round pick when you can have Anthony fucking’ Davis right now! You can blame LeBron’s impatience all you want; the Lakers knew when they signed LeBron that their timeline was expedited.

Paring Davis and LeBron now gives the Lakers a huge advantage heading into free agency. They would have the best pitch to the available superstars, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson. As far as the rest of the rotation, if you’re a veteran looking to join a contender, who else would you rather play with than King James and the Brow?

Magic knows an opportunity when he sees one. He knows how rare a player like Davis becomes available; the last time was Kareem in 1975, before Magic himself was even in the NBA. He’s not going to miss a chance to pair a top-2 player ever with one of the most talented big men of all time. I have a hunch Davis is going to be wearing purple and gold by the 3pm EST Thursday.