NBA Trade Deadline 2018: Winners and losers

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NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 12: Magic Johnson attends the Los Angeles Lakers Vs New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images) /

Winner: Lakers Front Office

The realignment of the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office was met with some trepidation and questions as they replaced veteran executives Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss with first-timers Rob Pelinka and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. A couple tampering charges into his first season on the job it seemed like Lakers legend Johnson might be in over his head. Sure, there aren’t many people on the Earth that could match Magic’s combination of charisma and business acumen, but maybe running a team was too much for him.

Well, with the trade deadline pass and over half of the season completed, we have seen that Pelinka and Johnson knocked their first draft out of the park by bringing in Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Thomas Bryant they have stockpiled themselves with future assets that this franchise hasn’t had in a long time.

Couple that with the shrewd move to sell high on Jordan Clarkson and get out from under his future money. The move to bring in Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and the Cavaliers 2018 first round pick is going to open up $47 million in cap space for the vaunted summer of 2018. After attempting to douse the fire some by stating that the Lakers could look to be aggressive in 2019 instead of 2018, the deadline saw Johnson and Pelinka pour copious of lighter fluid back onto the 2018 free agency flame.

With some more smart money management –mainly getting most of Luol Deng’s remaining $36.8 million off their books — the vision of bringing LeBron James and Paul George to the purple and gold is clearer than ever before.

Jeanie Buss is sitting pretty now that she has shown the league and her family that she has what it takes to be the matriarch of the Lakers. Johnson and Pelinka have gotten off to about as good of a start as they could have hoped for in their new roles. This franchise is finally settling itself after years of post-Kobe turmoil. If the Lakers can get back to being one of the premiere destinations Johnson’s legend in Los Angeles will only grow bigger.

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