Magic: Lakers to rebuild around Ball

EL SEGUNDO, California – Magic Johnson pointed a long index finger at the wall of the Los Angeles Lakers’ training complex, where the 16-time NBA champions’ nine retired numbers hang over the practice court.

“I’m going to put a little pressure on you right now,” Johnson said to Lonzo Ball. “You look to your right, there’s some jerseys hanging on that wall. We expect a Ball jersey hanging up there one day, all right? Good.”

Somebody not wearing Big Baller Brand sneakers might be a bit intimidated by Magic’s bold pronouncements. After all, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations immediately dubbed his 19-year-old point guard “the new face of the Lakers, the guy who I think will lead us back to where we want to get to.”

But after a short lifetime spent preparing for this moment, Ball already knows exactly what’s expected from a superstar on his favorite team.

“I’m happy to be home, and I’m ready to get to work,” Ball said as he formally joined the Lakers on Friday after getting chosen with the No. 2 overall pick.

Ball is facing sky-high expectations, but he’s also just one part of Johnson’s plan to transform the Lakers into a championship contender after the worst four-season stretch in franchise history.

Magic made his intentions known a few days before the draft when he traded D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn, giving up on the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft after just two mostly promising seasons. Magic made the deal partly to clear the way for Ball, whose passing talent and leadership enraptured the Lakers’ Hall of Fame point guard in a way that Russell never did.

“I’m going to do what it takes to get the right players in here with the right mindset,” Johnson said. “D’Angelo is an excellent player. He has the talent to be an All-Star. We want to thank him for what he did for us, but what I needed was a leader. I needed somebody also that can make the other players better, and also that players want to play with.”

Johnson also echoed general manager Rob Pelinka’s comments one day earlier about the Lakers’ long-term plans when he cited 2018 salary cap relief as the second reason for trading Russell.

The Lakers got rid of the final three seasons of center Timofey Mozgov’s $64 million contract in the deal, acquiring mobile center Brook Lopez – who has one year left on his deal – and the 27th overall pick used to get Utah forward Kyle Kuzma.