Report: Magic Johnson Issues Bombshell Trade Demand About Lonzo Ball

Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson will probably remove Lonzo Ball before the trade deadline even if the team does not succeed to sign Anthony Davis.

That’s what ESPN’s basketball insider Stephen A. Smith said. The Lakers are interested in getting New Orleans Pelicans superstar Davis. Magic Johnson offered Lonzo Ball in the massive trade package along with his teammates. Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and two first-round draft picks will have to go.

The Pelicans are not even worried as they keep increasing their demands. Both sides may not even reach an agreement.

Lonzo Ball said he is not interested in going to New Orleans. He prefers the Phoenix Suns and other teams where he would be a back-court starter.

Ball was picked as the No 1 player in the 2017 draft. He is in the second year of a $22 million deal, but is yet to play his best basketball.

But LaVar Ball says that his son should not leave Los Angeles, and criticized head coach Luke Walton.

“Luke Walton was the worst coach he ever had. It was Magic [Johnson] the one who said he was going to be the dang face of the franchise,” he said. “But Magic ain’t doing no coaching. And the only person to kill Lonzo is the coach pulling him out and not having no confidence in him.

“Everyone who’s had confidence in Lonzo just let him go and let him win. That’s what he does. He wins. Luke Walton turned him into a loser. A loser’s mentality is like, ‘Oh, he’s young, he’ll get it.’ Instead of going out there and letting him do what he does.”

NBA expert Stephen A. said that after these comments, LA should not keep Lonzo and LaVar around the organization.

“If I’m Magic Johnson I’m on the phone and I’m trying to get Lonzo Ball on another team. I would trade Lonzo Ball immediately. I’m sad to have to say that because Lonzo is a nice kid with a good upside and I’m not denigrating LaVar Ball. It’s not like he’s been talking for a while, we haven’t heard from him for a while. But when he says what he says, what you think he’s never spoken to his son? You think his son hasn’t mentioned a word to his father who considers himself a basketball genius, who is a basketball coach?”

“You think people in that locker room don’t believe this is a father-son conversation going public in some capacity? Certainly Lonzo didn’t intend for that to be the case but clearly that’s the perception. But the bigger issue, Lonzo ain’t worth the trouble that LaVar can cause. In his year-and-a-half in the NBA he’s averaging 10 points, he’s shooting 38 per-cent from the field, 31 per-cent from three-point range. My issue is not the numbers, it’s his lack of aggression.

“I wish Lonzo had his dad’s attitude and would get on the court and go for it, push the envelope and show some level of aggression and assertiveness. I wish Lonzo would be the guy that was assertive and wasn’t content to dribble the ball at half-court, hand it off to somebody and go hide in the corner. That’s how he looks half the time. You don’t need that in L.A. Particularly when you have a dad calling out the coach, calling him a loser. You can’t have stuff like that going on within the Lakers organisation. I would definitely move beyond this. Yes LaVar is hurting to some degree but just as much as Lonzo’s unassertive play play is hurting the Lakers.”