NBA: Drama, Anthony Davis Affected Kawhi Leonard To Lakers Move

Less drama and Anthony Davis could have helped the Lakers land Kawhi Leonard this past offseason.

The Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be one of the frontrunners to ink Leonard during his free agency this year. However, after a series of dramatic events within and outside the Lakers, the reigning NBA Finals MVP eventually ended up with the Clippers instead.

But back in February, the team has already experienced the same scenario with Davis and the New Orleans Hornets. It will be remembered that a key failure during Johnson’s brief tenure as Los Angeles Lakers president was his inability to swing a trade with NOLA and Davis before the trade deadline.

Now that Lakers finally sealed a deal with Davis, Johnson looked back at the first attempt of the team to land the dominant big man.

In a recent talk with FOX Sports, Johnson expressed his thoughts regarding the failed Davis deal last February. According to the Laker legend, he would have stayed in his role with the Lakers had they successfully pulled off the trade for “AD” during the February 2019 trade deadline.

More importantly, Johnson noted that he could have built the right team and even had a better shot at luring Leonard this past summer.

“I'd still be there of course. And I could have the coaches I wanted. Everything would've fallen into place. We would've had an even better shot at Kawhi (Leonard),” Johnson stated.

Johnson resigned from his executive position within the Lakers organization in a sudden press conference last April. He told reporters he was stepping down prior to actually telling team owner Jeanie Buss.

As per Johnson, his frustration with the direction of the franchise and how unhappy he felt at the time despite signing LeBron James — unarguably the most recognizable player in the NBA, was one of the main reasons why he chose to get off.

Meanwhile, Davis is already so over with the Pelicans and Lakers drama. Last month, he addressed the issues with Pelicans GM David Griffin and emphasized that the “past is past,” ESPN reported.

"That's fine. I don't care," Davis said Friday in an appearance on ESPN's The Jump during Lakers media day.

"I mean like, the past is the past, you know? I didn't hear that. But look, I love the city of New Orleans. I've been there seven years, gave my all six and a half (years), gave my all. And it was fun times, you know. It was fun times," Davis pointed out.