Magic Johnson was critical of D'Angelo Russell in his comments after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in a move that frees up cap space and makes it clear that Lonzo Ball will be their face of the franchise.

"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."

The Lakers drafted Russell with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, but used his potential to clear out Timofey Mozgov's contract while also acquiring Brook Lopez and the 27th overall pick.