The first move Magic Johnson made after he took the reins of the Lakers was trading Lou Williams to the Rockets for Corey Brewer and a first-round pick. It’s a long-standing truism that Daryl Morey lives to prey on new executives, feeling out any weaknesses.
Which is why this story, embedded deep in Ramona Shelburne’s brilliant palace intrigue story about the Buss family, brought a huge smile to my face:
His first day on the job was spent fielding trade calls. Utah's offer of a first-round pick for Williams was off the table by then, so Magic told teams he was looking for a first-round pick and a player whose salary and time left on his contract matched up with Williams'.