Magic Johnson told LeBron he'd sign Kawhi during Lakers pitch

Magic Johnson included Kawhi Leonard in his pitch to LeBron James while trying to lure the latter to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.

Johnson, who was the Lakers' president of basketball operations at the time, revealed on the "All the Smoke" podcast that he told James he intended to go after Leonard as part of his efforts to build a championship team.

"I said, 'These are the moves that I'm going to make after I sign you. I'm gonna go after...' At that time, I thought it was going to be Kawhi because he was the next free agent the next year," Johnson said. "Nobody knew that Anthony Davis was gonna be available for trade, so I said, 'I'mma get you, then I'mma get Kawhi.'"

Leonard, an L.A. native, became a free agent in July 2019 after leading the Toronto Raptors to an NBA championship. Johnson stepped down from his position with the Lakers two months earlier but is confident he could've signed Leonard, too, if given the opportunity.

"I would've had Kawhi," Johnson said. "When I come in to close the deal, it's done. Listen, man, I do my homework, my research. So when I get you in that room, I already know what you want and I'mma just lay it out to you. And so I knew what LeBron wanted, I laid it out to him. He bought into it. I would've known what Kawhi wanted and I would've laid it out to him as well."