Magic Johnson steps down as President of Basketball Operations for the Los Angeles Lakers.

By: Jimmie Sykes

Magic Johnson abruptly threw in the towel on the Lakers.

Magic Johnson abruptly threw in the towel as President for the Los Angeles Lakers. Pressure does indeed burst pipes, and a lot of that was going on in LA this season.

It's safe to say LA didn't live up to the hype after the acquisition of Lebron James last offseason. They simply underachieved in everything they were supposed to do. For them to not even get Now, the Lakers are faced with a very puzzling upcoming offseason.

Currently, the Lakers are on a six year playoff drought. Magic couldn't gather the right talent in his short amount of time to break the drought. Losing rising talents like D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle came back to haunt the Lakers over the stretch of the season. Other key factors play a part as well.  Poor performance at the trade deadline and failure to acquire Anthony Davis are two of several issues.

Magic Johnson won five championships during his time as a player in Los Angeles. Everything was set for him to bring that winning culture back to LA. I know more people was expecting something out of his run as president, especially with this upcoming summer. Per the video, Magic sounds as if he misses being an actual fan of the game, rather than getting hit with tampering. Magic admits he didn't even run his decision by owner Jeanie Buss at first.

The Lakers can't sit and dwell on what it is or could've been with Magic Johnson though. Head Coach Luke Walton outlasted the Magic era, and no one was for certain he'd do that. Even Lebron was left "stunned" at the decision Magic Johnson chose to make.

Right now isn't time for Laker nation to become discouraged. Alot is pending this summer, and the show must go on. This season is the earliest Lebron has packed it up in a very long time. It's safe to say James is in line for a much needed rest.

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Whatever is next in LA, it's evident that it's time to think on their feet. They have people to bring out, and people to let go of as well. If they want to get back on the path to contention, they must adjust. I got my eyes on them in free agency as well, as you know stars would want to come to the Lakers.

Brandon Ingram played some promising basketball before his season-ending injury. I'm curious to see what they will do with him and Lonzo Ball, who also missed time with injury. The ball is in the Lakers court this summer and they must play their cards right or the drought just might continue.