Magic Johnson is betting his job on his free-agent recruiting skills for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Johnson declared Monday that he will step down as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations if he can’t persuade an elite free agent to sign with the 16-time NBA champions within the next two summers.

”Next summer http://www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jihad-ward-jersey , if nobody comes and I’m still sitting here like this, then it’s a failure,” Johnson said after a news conference to introduce draft picks Moe Wagner and Svi Mykhailiuk.

Johnson was put in charge of the Lakers’ front office by owner Jeanie Buss in February 2017, and the former superstar point guard immediately announced his plans to revive the struggling franchise by enticing the game’s best players to join as free agents.

With Paul George and potentially LeBron James headlining the market this summer, Johnson is leading the Lakers’ efforts to land both players this weekend. If they sign elsewhere, Johnson and the Lakers will pursue the large crop of 2019 free agents.

And if he strikes out with every big name, Johnson said he will quit.

”Like I told you when I took the job, it’s going to be a two-summer thing for the Lakers,” Johnson said. ”This summer, and next summer http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-lamar-jackson-jersey , and that’s it. And if I can’t deliver, I’m going to step down myself. She won’t have to fire me. I’ll step away from it. Because then, I can’t do this job. But so far, so good.”

Although the Lakers are mired in the worst five-year stretch in franchise history and haven’t made the playoffs since 2013, Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka have been successful in achieving their initial goals since they took over 16 months ago.

They have solidified a decent core of talented young players – Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart – to provide their potential free-agent signees with support. They have made several slick trades and personnel moves to clear enough salary cap room to offer two mammoth free-agent contracts this summer.

Now comes the tough part: Persuading George or James or other big names to move to Hollywood. Johnson said he has no idea whether the Lakers’ pitch will be well-received, but he also feels confident in his task.

”I’m Magic Johnson,” he said with his ubiquitous smile. ”You know how many finals I’ve been in? So you think I’m worried about this? I played against Larry Bird in the Finals. I played in nine Finals.”

Johnson is the second straight basketball decision-maker for the Lakers to create a self-imposed deadline for success.

In 2014, co-owner Jim Buss told the Los Angeles Times that the Lakers had to be a contender within three to four years http://www.brownsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-chad-thomas-jersey , or ”I will step down, because that means I have failed.”

The Lakers badly missed that deadline, and Buss’ sister fired him and general manager Mitch Kupchak in February 2017.

Johnson and Pelinka are spending this week honing and fine-tuning their free-agent pitches. They’ll show their plans to Jeanie Buss later in the week, along with numerous contingency plans for the short-term and long-term future.

”If we can sign somebody this summer, we’ll do that,” Johnson said. ”If it doesn’t happen, we’ve got to turn to next summer.”

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Josh McDaniels has backed out of a deal to become the Indianapolis’ Colts new coach, a decision that shocked the franchise hours after it announced his hiring.

The Colts confirmed McDaniels’ decision in a statement Tuesday night after reports emerged that the Patriots’ offensive coordinator had opted to stay in New England with coach Bill Belichick.

McDaniels had agreed to contract terms with the Colts to replace the fired Chuck Pagano, and a news conference had been scheduled for Wednesday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Just a few hours later, the Colts said McDaniels informed them he would not sign the deal.

”Although we are surprised and disappointed Rick Leonard Color Rush Jersey , we will resume our head coaching search immediately and find the right fit to lead our team and organization on and off the field,” the Colts said in the statement.

The Patriots and McDaniels’ agent, Bob LaMonte, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

”I’m speechless,” former Colts receiver Reggie Wayne told NFL Network. ”I’ve talked with people in the Colts organization and they feel like they’ve been hoodwinked.”

It’s also not clear how the Colts will proceed from here.

By spurning Indy after it waited 22 days for the playoffs to end, McDaniels leaves the reeling franchise as the only one without a coach – in early February. New England’s defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, left Belichick’s staff a day after the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to become coach of the Detroit Lions.

Indy had interviewed several candidates for the job, including two that were hired by other teams – Matt Nagy went to Chicago and Mike Vrabel to Tennessee. Another potential candidate, Baylor coach Matt Rhule http://www.coltsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-braden-smith-jersey , had already announced he was returning to the college ranks before the Colts had settled on McDaniels, who at age 41 is considered one of the game’s best young minds.

He’s been considered a top-tier head coaching candidate for several years even though his only other coaching stint with Denver ended badly. He went 8-8 with the Broncos in 2009 and 3-9 in 2010 before he was fired with three games left in the season. He worked with the St. Louis Rams in 2011 before returning to New England in 2012, where he has been the offensive coordinator ever since.

And turning down his second chance, after agreeing to a deal with Indy, could make other teams outside of New England more hesitant to hire McDaniels. His decision will also have ramifications for the coaches who were set to join his staff.

It’s unusual but not unprecedented in league history for a deal with a new coach to fall through at the last minute. McDaniels’ move was eerily reminiscent of his mentor, Belichick, who resigned as coach of the Jets with a handwritten note less than a day after he was hired in 2000.

Although McDaniels never signed his contract with Indianapolis, his stint was even shorter. The team announced his hiring on its Twitter account late Tuesday morning. Hours later, the Colts had deleted the tweet and replaced it with the statement about his withdrawal.

Pagano was fired Dec. 31 after the team finished 4-12 in a season without injured quarterback Andrew Luck.

Within days of Pagano’s ouster, Colts general manager Chris Ballard interviewed McDaniels during the Patriots’ postseason bye week. Two weeks later Authentic Lamar Jackson Jersey , reports indicated the deal was all but finished and potential suitors, like the New York Giants, started hiring other coaches.

Now the Colts find themselves in perhaps the toughest position of all – finding a new coach in February.

In Indianapolis, where the fan base already loathed the Patriots, McDaniels’ sudden change of heart didn’t go over well.

The City of Noblesville, a northern suburb of Indy, put this on Twitter: ”Unlike Josh McDaniels, we stay true to our commitments. Noblesville street crews will be out tonight once winter weather hits you can `do your job’ tomorrow.”

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