So Magic Johnson is the new president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, who ousted former VP of basketball operations Jim Buss and GM Mitch Kupchak from their roles in the team's front office in a housecleaning Tuesday. Now what?
As we recently explored, the Lakers' young talent hasn't proved it has star potential so far, leaving the team in need of an anchor to compete in the Western Conference.
What moves can the Lakers make under Johnson's leadership to improve their chances of returning to the heights they reached with Magic at point guard?
1. Sell off guards at the trade deadline
Until sports agent Rob Pelinka takes over as GM (he's reportedly agreed in principle to take the job), the Lakers will need a committee made up of Johnson, assistant GM Ryan West, Joey Buss, Jesse Buss and perhaps others to get through Thursday's trade deadline.
Shortly after rejoining the organization in what was then an advisory position, Johnson admitted he was studying the NBA's collective bargaining agreement to understand how it works. Having Johnson negotiate against experienced GMs would be unfair to him and the Lakers.
Still, there are moves to be made. Any value the Lakers can get for shooting guard Nick Young, who can opt to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, would be a win -- particularly given the expectation in the preseason that Young would be waived.
The Lou Williams situation is a bit trickier. There's less urgency to move Williams, who has one more year at the bargain price of $7 million remaining on his contract. But if the Lakers can get a protected first-round pick for the guard, who doesn't figure to be part of their long-term future, they should certainly take it.
I'd consider moving Williams for a high second-round pick if that's the best offer, since such a trade would create a modest amount of cap space.
(Update: As of Tuesday evening, the Lakers had reportedly agreed to trade Williams to Houston for Corey Brewer and the Rockets' 2017 first-round draft pick.)
A Williams trade would also help with the Lakers' biggest priority the remainder of the season.
Now, about that ...
2. Maximize chances of keeping 2017 and 2019 draft picks
This year's draft lottery will be crucial to the Lakers' future. To recap, if the Lakers' pick comes up in the top three, they keep it -- and also keep their 2019 first-round pick, which would otherwise go to the Orlando Magic unprotected. If the Lakers don't win a lottery spot (top three, that is), their pick goes to the Philadelphia 76ers and their 2018 first-rounder would be the only one they hold in the next three drafts. Ouch.
Because the Lakers have to come up in the top three, there's no way they can guarantee keeping their pick. And the Brooklyn Nets, who have 10 fewer wins, have effectively clinched the top spot entering the lottery on behalf of the rival Boston Celtics, who acquired the pick from the Nets. Even if the Lakers lose every remaining game on their schedule, it's doubtful the Nets would get to the 19 wins the Lakers already have.
What the Lakers can control is whether they finish with the league's second-worst record. They are a half-game ahead of the Phoenix Suns, who are 29th. Both teams have 39 losses. The Lakers ought to do anything it takes to finish with a worse record than the Suns. A-nay-thing.
Yes, organizational culture and winning habits are important. But don't forget that no team in recent memory tanked more shamelessly to keep a protected pick than the 2011-12 Golden State Warriors. Three years later, the Warriors won the NBA championship with 2012 lottery pick Harrison Barnes as a starter.
3. Spend long-term money only on stars
When I last wrote about the Lakers' future, the organization was still clinging to the idea that Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov were helping the team win now. Though Deng and Mozgov might be helping in the locker room, the veterans have been ineffective on the court, and the Lakers have gone 2-3 since replacing them in the starting lineup with Brandon Ingram and Tarik Black.
With three years remaining at an average of $18 million (Deng) and $16 million (Mozgov), those contracts will likely limit the Lakers' cap space for at least this summer. Depending on whether they trade Williams and keep their pick, the Lakers may not have cap space to make a maximum offer without sacrificing a useful player.
Moving Deng and Mozgov would surely require giving up future first-round picks. So Johnson probably can't do anything about last summer's mistakes. He can avoid repeating them.
If the Lakers identify good values, as Williams was in the summer of 2015, it's fine to spend some cap space that way while keeping the team competitive. Otherwise, the Lakers should avoid giving long-term contracts to non-star free agents so as to keep their powder dry when and if a superstar does hit the market.
The Cousins trade makes it more likely that he'll be a free agent in the summer of 2018. We'll see if the Lakers are interested in taking the risk on Cousins' personality to add his immense talent, if it doesn't mean giving up a player in return. Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, a native of the L.A. area, could also be an unrestricted free agent that summer provided he doesn't make an All-NBA team this season and become eligible to sign a designated veteran contract with the Indiana Pacers.
Of course, those stars may end up re-signing with their current teams or going elsewhere. The Lakers' young players also need to continue developing to convince stars that they have a realistic chance of winning in L.A. But the Lakers can't sign a star player unless they have the cap space to do so, and maintaining that flexibility is paramount to their future. It's certainly not worth sacrificing for role players.
Such mistakes got Buss and Kupchak pushed aside. Now it's up to Johnson to chart a better course for the Lakers.