JEFF WECHSLER DOESN’T remember who initially sent him the clip last month of Magic Johnson rehashing his version of how the 2017 draft played out when he was starting his two-year stint as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations. But Wechsler certainly remembers his response to it. “I was like, ‘Well, it’s not factually correct,’” Wechsler, who has been Tatum’s agent his entire career, told ESPN. “Parts of it were correct, but it wasn’t the sequence or the cadence of what happened.” Johnson said, during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA radio, that the Lakers were “top-heavy in forwards” and L.A. “couldn’t take [Tatum]’.” L.A.’s roster featured second-year forward Brandon Ingram, fourth-year forward Julius Randle and third-year forward Larry Nance Jr. at the time. Johnson continued: “His agent, also, didn’t want us to work him out because he didn’t want him to end up with the Lakers because we were already top-heavy with forwards.” Wechsler objects. He recalls a different set of events. -via ESPN / January 23, 2025
