The NBA : Magic Plans to Play Through 1993-94 Season

Magic Johnson, given more spending money in a newly restructured contract that could pay him better than $3 million annually, said Tuesday that he no longer intends to take his retirement cue from longtime rival Larry Bird.

Instead, Johnson said, he intends to play through the length of his contract, which would take him through the 1993-94 season and within weeks of his 35th birthday.

Laker owner Jerry Buss, who was present at the press conference called before Tuesday night’s Laker-Seattle game, also said he wants Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to return next season, for which the Laker center--who will be 41 on April 16--is scheduled to be paid $3 million.

“I do want Kareem on the Lakers next season,” Buss said. “Unqualified. Period. Yes. I love him. If he plays two more years after this one, he’ll be the same age I was when I bought the team. That has special significance.”

No more so than the announcement by Johnson that he plans to stick around longer than Boston’s Bird, who has said he is “95% certain” that he will retire after two more seasons.

“I’ll definitely go a little longer than two,” said Johnson, who missed his fifth straight game and 10th in the last 12 with a strained right groin. “I’ll go all out until my contract is up, unless, God forbid, there’s injuries or anything like that.

“As long as nothing drastic happens. The knee pops or something crazy happens.”

In the past, Johnson said he would probably bow out when Bird does. Asked why he had changed his mind, Johnson said:

“I love playing basketball. This is in my heart, this is my love. That’s why it’s killing me now (not being able to play).

“You look at how we’re playing, what’s transpiring. Byron (Scott) developing, James (Worthy) has a lot bigger role. Guys are taking more responsibility, which is good. It will help me in the long run. Every year you get more and more banged up.”

Under the terms of Johnson’s previous contract, the Laker guard was being paid $2.5 million: $1 million up front annually, with $1.5 million in deferred payments scheduled to begin in 1994. The new contract was approved by the league on Tuesday.

For the purposes of the league’s salary cap, Johnson, who is in his ninth season, will still be listed at $2.5 million. Under terms of the restructured contract, the deferred money has been eliminated, with the balance of Johnson’s contract to be paid over seven seasons (including this one). Thus, Johnson will get $2.5 million up front a year, plus a portion of the $4.5 million in deferred money he earned in the first three years of the contract.

Buss would not reveal the terms of the contract, but if that deferred money was to be divided equally over the seven years of the pact, Johnson would be paid $3.14 million annually. Buss declined to answer, however, when asked whether Abdul-Jabbar would be the highest-paid Laker next season.

“Magic has promised me and I am confident he will give me all of his professional basketball years,” Buss said. “Neither he nor I know how long that will be.

” . . . He’ll play as much as he can, physically. If he does a Kareem trick, who knows? Maybe he’ll be sitting here with another contract.”

Johnson, who dropped long-time agent George Andrews last summer, was represented in these negotiations by Michael Ovitz, a movie industry super agent, and attorney John Argue, a key figure in the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee. After winning the NBA’s most valuable player award last season, Johnson had indicated a desire to re-work the contract.

“If (Buss) had said no, I wouldn’t have been bitter or nothing,” Johnson said. “I would have played. But Dr. Buss has always been up front.

“It’s not like we were renegotiating (not allowed under league rules). I’m not getting any more money than the (previous) contract. It’s the same amount of money--just condensed.”

Besides Abdul-Jabbar, the only player listed at the $3-million level under the salary cap is New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing, who is at $3.25 million for next season. A substantial amount of that is deferred, however. Bird is listed at $1.8 million, while Celtic teammate Robert Parish is listed at $2.038 million. Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls is listed at $945,000.

Johnson said his biggest concern now is to return to the court.

“It (the contract) is over and done with,” Johnson said. “Now there are more important things. . . . I’m happy.”