magic johnson recently told Lakers owner Jeanie Buss that he will pay the $500,000 fine for tampering issue but the franchise declined the offer. According to Johnson, one of the league rules states that if a team is fined, the team has to pay and should never be shouldered by an individual. Admitting somehow that "they have crossed the line," Johnson believes that they did not do anything wrong and will not admit to one.

So why did he offer to pay the fine? "This happened on my watch. It doesn't affect [controlling owner] Jeanie Buss; she's been an excellent boss.

I love her to death. I love working for her. But, at the same time, you have to take ownership and accountability, and so I will do that," he said.

The case of the Lakers tampering issue

Magic Johnson, 58, took upon himself to apologize over the tampering issue for Paul George. The Indiana Pacers filed a case against the Los Angeles Lakers after they found out that the team headed by Magic Johnson has been in communication with Paul George's camp, particularly his agent. According to the NBA rules, this is not allowed while a player is still under contract with another team. The NBA faulted the Lakers, which resulted in a $500,000 fine.

Paul George of the Thunders made clear of his intention to leave the Indiana Pacers when his contract expires.

But for the franchise, they wanted to gain something from it so instead of waiting for free agency to arrive (wherein George can pick his own team), the Pacers went ahead and traded him. This move has been a valuable decision from the franchise in order to get something back when he is released.

Paul George and Los Angeles Lakers

George has since expressed his interest to join the Los Angeles Lakers but with one more season under his contract, he was eventually traded to the Oklahoma City Thunders for Victor Olapido and Domantas Sabonis. Previous reports, on the other hand, said Paul George is not closing his doors on the Lakers as he looks forward to the next season.

Meanwhile, Johnson also took notice of Larry Nance Jr.'s incredible improvement. Playing forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, the team has received several inquiries about Nance to no avail. Speaking to First Take on ESPN, he said Nance Jr. is currently the Lakers' secret weapon. "Our secret weapon is Larry Nance... We've gotten calls from a lot of teams wanting to trade for him and Brandon Ingram and we've said no. Larry is such a fundamentally sound basketball player," he said.
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