The Lakers have been desperate to do a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans for superstar Davis before this Thursday, when the window for NBA trades closes at 12pm PST (8pm UK time).
Magic’s first five offers to Pelicans general manager Dell Demps went unanswered but Johnson was prompted to improve the package offered by the Lakers and eventually got to a monstrous deal that would include all of the roster’s young core plus picks, salary cap relief and other players.
Yet the Lakers – who have led the discussions and have had no counter-proposals from New Orleans – have now decided to take a more relaxed approach to proceedings.
It is claimed that talks are not completely dead in the water but that the Lakers will no longer chase a deal for Davis unless the Pelicans come back to them with an idea of the package they would be willing to accept.
But David Jacoby – host of ESPN Radio Show Jalen & Jacoby with Jalen Rose – thinks the Lakers should offer exactly the same package in the summer and if New Orleans again refuse, then protect their young core, bring them up together and wait for Davis to become a free agent in 2020.
The forward has indicated there are four franchises – the Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers and New York Knicks – he would re-sign with on a long-term deal next year, whereas any other destination would likely see him again seek an L.A. move.
And while that would mean another potential season of frustration for LeBron James, who moved to southern California to help the franchise win championships but is in need of All-Star support, Jacoby thinks the worry of that could be off-set by landing a major free agent with their max cap space this summer.
Jacoby told ESPN: “The Lakers made a small-ball offer, they made their godfather offer, the Pelicans? ‘We’re not interested. We’ll wait for the summer’.
“I’m a LeBron stan. I want to see AD go to the Lakers and take on the Golden State Warriors, who are far and away the best basketball team in the NBA.
“But I’m starting to get frustrated myself with all of this.
“Magic Johnson, I know him a little bit, if he were to call my phone. I’d say, ‘You know what, you made your offer. Right now? Do nothing. Do absolutely nothing.’
“Don’t trade for him, don’t give up the entire assets, don’t give up four real players and two picks for one player.
“‘Keep this team until the summer and in the summer time, if that [same offer] doesn’t work, have Rich Paul into your office and say, ‘Wherever he goes I want him in the purple and gold next season.’
“You can wait this out. Davis wants to play for the Lakers. That might change over time but you don’t give up five or six players.
“You say, ‘You know what, I’m maybe not giving LeBron the best team he could have around him in his prime but I’ll bet on Davis coming here for us giving up nothing and teaming with LeBron James and this developed young core that will really make a run at the best teams in the league in two seasons.’
“Then they can put people around LeBron. Danny Green will come, get him in there, a shooter, a defender. They can sign a max from this free agent class, maybe it’s a Jimmy Butler, maybe it’s a Kyrie Irving, maybe it’s a Kemba Walker.”