Pfund Said to Be in Trouble : Lakers: Coach reportedly will be fired after the playoffs. Magic denies report that he will be successor.

Magic Johnson and his agent denied a report Thursday that owner Jerry Buss has asked Johnson to replace Randy Pfund as coach of the Lakers after this season.

“There is no truth to that,” Johnson told the Daily News of Los Angeles. “I haven’t talked to the Lakers about any coaching job. The Lakers already have a coach. Randy doesn’t need this.”

Radio station KMPC reported the Johnson rumor Thursday, and it was quickly picked up by radio and TV stations around the country. The station also said that Johnson, if he accepted the job, would hire Michael Cooper and a high-profile, current NBA coach as assistants.

Also, reports of Pfund’s imminent dismissal continue. The South Bay Daily Breeze and Santa Monica Evening Outlook reported in today’s editions that Pfund will be fired after the Lakers are eliminated from the playoffs, and that Pfund’s assistants, Bill Bertka and Chet Kammerer, will be fired, too.

Laker spokesman Bob Steiner said late Thursday night that Pfund’s future had not been decided. “Certainly a decision to fire Randy has not been made,” Steiner said.

In a statement released by the club, General Manager Jerry West said: “To my knowledge, no one has been offered the Laker coaching position. At the end of every year we evaluate our players and our coaches, and we will do the same thing at the end of this season.”

Buss was unavailable Thursday.

As for the Johnson coaching rumor, Lon Rosen, Johnson’s agent, said: “Earvin is trying to buy an NBA team, not coach one. Earvin has not been offered anything, and (becoming the Lakers’ coach) has not been discussed. . . . Randy is the head coach, and I hope Randy stays the head coach.”

Pfund, in the first season of a multiyear contract, has a 38-42 record with two games left in the regular season.

However, West has been generally supportive of Pfund. West, Buss and Pfund met recently to discuss personnel, and Pfund said he got no indication his support had eroded. “I don’t think anybody in the organization is necessarily happy that it came down to fighting for a playoff spot,” Pfund said. “But there’s an understanding on those peoples’ part why we’re not able to take a step up.”