Magic Johnson Tried Like Hell To Spinzone Passing On Jayson Tatum In The 2017 Draft

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Back in early November, Jayson Tatum was on the podcast circuit and he finally told the story of his pre-draft process in which he described how the Lakers apparently had zero interest in drafting him

and as I said at the time, I could not have been more thankful for their decision. What took place during the 2017 NBA Draft is what has helped shape the NBA we are seeing today, and now that Tatum and the Celts have won a title I can look back at all of these stories and truly laugh at both the Sixers and Lakers. Good job you two!

Well, as things tend to go in 2024, we have a response to Tatum's claim/ story because of course we do. This comes from Magic Johnson, the man who was in charge of the Lakers back in 2017. Please allow him to describe what went on back in 2017

He seemed to have forgotten the whole "was bullied by LaVar Ball" part, but whatever.  I don't even really agree that you pass up JAYSON TATUM all because you have Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr on your team. That's some of the nastiest spinzone I've ever heard and honestly explains a lot. Teams either saw the vision with Tatum or they didn't, and it's clear that Danny Ainge was the only one who did. The Celtics had Al Horford, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown AND Jae Crowder on the roster and they still took Tatum because Ainge saw the vision and Magic is over here giving me Larry Nance Jr. How embarrassing. Let's not forget, he drafted Kyle Kuzma later in the first round!!

Magic says they needed a point guard, I say you don't have a playmaking issue if Jayson Tatum is on your roster. Guy sounds like bozo Steve Kerr talking about positional fit in regards to Tatum.

Newsflash: Jayson Tatum thrives in all 5 positions. Pick one, and he thrives. You can mold literally any type of roster and any offensive/defensive system around him. He's one of if not the most versatile two way players in the entire league, and that has been the case since his very first second on an NBA court. 

But hey, if Magic wants to try and spinzone his decision making instead of just admitting what the entire world already knows and the Lakers fucked up by passing on Tatum, that's his right. I will sit here and laugh at him, but he's free to try and spin it however he wants.

I will say though, big time shoutout to Tatum's agent Jeffrey Wechsler. He's a real one for that. I'm all for agents trying to keep their very clear franchise altering talents away from the Los Angeles Lakers and instead find a way to push that player to the Boston Celtics. In fact, I'd like to formally ask any other NBA agents out there who happen to represent franchise altering talents to also follow this same path. It's a win/win for everyone

Brian Babineau. Getty Images.

At this point, let's keep this train going. I'm going to need whoever was calling the shots in Philly to step up and give their side of the story with their role in the 2017 Draft. 

So I'm not sure if Magic is under the impression that his exonerates him or lets him off the hook or something, but I tend to think the exact opposite. I'd say this makes him look worse given the reasoning he suggested. Just an all time fumble that changed the course of NBA history forever and helped his bitter rival reclaim their rightful place atop the NBA mountain. That stings.