Lakers president Magic Johnson turned down job offers from Knicks, Warriors

Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, admittedly turned down ownership stake and/or job offers from the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons. Johnson took charge of the Purple & Gold in Feb. 2017 after Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss called for a mass clean-up of the front office.

While the Knicks wanted Johnson in a front office capacity, the Warriors and Pistons offered him a stake in ownership, the iconic point guard revealed on ESPN First Take on Wednesday (Watch below).

In July, 2010, Joe Lacob and a group of investors agreed to purchase the Warriors, the reigning NBA champions, from Chris Cohan for a sum of US$450 million (AU$564 million). Since then, the team has quadrupled its net worth. However, Johnson doesn't regret not being a part of the Warriors' meteoric rise.

Magic Johnson could have owned Warriors, Pistons

“I turned down three jobs. My good friends Peter (Guber) and Joe (Lacob), they bought the Golden State Warriors. They came to me, ‘I want you to be an owner, a partner with us.’ I said ‘No, I’m a Laker.’ My friend bought the Detroit Pistons, Tom Gores, and a Michigan State Guy. ‘Come on home It’d be a great story.’ ‘I can’t, I’m a Laker.’ I could’ve owned other teams,” said Johnson.

In the interview, Johnson revealed that the team received plenty of calls during the offseason, on potential trades involving young talents Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. Johnson and his front office are seemingly invested in their young core. “Our secret weapon is Larry Nance. We’ve gotten calls from a lot of teams that want to trade for him and Brandon Ingram. We said no. Larry is such a fundamentally sound basketball player," revealed Johnson, the five-time NBA champion.

Magic Johnson won three MVP and Finals MVP trophies during his illustrious career. Johnson, who helped the Lakers win five championships in the 1980s, has set the same expectations for rookie point guard Lonzo Ball, who has drawn comparisons with Magic for his pass-first playing style.