"I would've had Kawhi" - When Ex-Lakers GM Magic Johnson fired shots at Rob Pelinka over botched blockbuster deal

Ex-Lakers general manager Magic Johnson once said he would have completed the Kawhi Leonard signing in 2019 free agency, which his successor, Rob Pelinka, failed to do. It was one of the most intriguing storylines that summer.

Leonard wanted to move back to his hometown and nearly had a deal locked with the Purple and Gold, only to make a U-turn and join their rivals, the LA Clippers, instead.

Magic Johnson, whose biggest highlight as a Lakers GM was signing LeBron James in 2018 NBA free agency, claimed he wouldn't have missed out on Leonard if he had negotiated it. Here's what Johnson said on Matt Barnes' podcast, "All The Smoke," on Jan. 13, 2023:

"Oh, I would have had Kawhi [Leonard]. No question. ... Look, when I come into a close a deal, come on man, it's done. .... Listen, I do my homework and my research. So, when I get you in that room, I already know what you want and Imma just lay it out to you, right?" (13:12)

Magic Johnson lured LeBron James to LA with potential Kawhi Leonard signing as one of the talking points. He wasn't aware of Anthony Davis' availability the same offseason, whom the Lakers acquired as the first big move under Rob Pelinka's tenure.

The Lakers were shocked after Leonard changed his stance. Many reports indicated he wanted to lead his team and liked the idea of teaming up with Paul George, the Clippers' culture and the organization's stability.

It all played out perfectly either way, as the Lakers trounced the favored Clippers to a championship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the helm with one of the deepest rosters that season.

On the other hand, Leonard and George never made it past the conference finals together. Their tenure as co-stars ended this past summer, with George signing for the Sixers in free agency.

Rob Pelinka circulated that Magic Johnson was not working hard enough as Lakers GM, per NBA legend

Magic Johnson abruptly left the LA Lakers after publicly calling out the organization's operations during his tenure as a GM. On April 9, 2019, shortly before the team's last game of the season. Johnson claimed a month later that Rob Pelinka was responsible for his departure.

“Things got going in the right direction," Johnson said on ESPN's First Take on May 20, 2019. "And then I start hearing, ‘Magic, you’re not working hard enough. Magic’s not in the office.’ So people around the Lakers office was telling me Rob [Pelinka] was saying things.

"And I didn’t like those things being said behind my back,” Johnson said. "That I wasn’t in the office enough and on and on. So I started getting calls from my friends outside of basketball and those things were said to them outside of basketball. Now it’s in the media and so on.”

Magic Johnson cleared that the betrayal only came from Rob Pelinka. Now five years down the line, Pelinka has faced immense scrutiny from fans after staying put at the 2024 trade deadline and the past offseason despite the Lakers' persistent struggles to be a consistent two-way team.