Matthew VanTryon

USA TODAY Network

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Lakers new president of basketball operations, talked on the phone soon after Johnson assumed his new position. They talked about plenty, but more notable is what Bird said didn't come up.

"I wasn’t motivated to move Paul George at the deadline,” Bird told the Los Angeles Times. “I can’t remember if it was even brought up or not. I don’t think it was. It’s all fake news anyway. You know that. Somebody’s gonna start it and (it) just was a snowball effect. (The phone call) was not about Paul George.”

USA TODAY's Sam Amick reported before the deadline that George "would love nothing more than to sign with his hometown Lakers if the future is bleak in Indiana."

Johnson and Bird battled on the court for years, and now they could be vying for the same pieces to build their respective teams. Johnson isn't the only player from Bird's era now in the front office. Bird's longtime teammate Danny Ainge heads up the Boston Celtics, but the two have never made a deal.

GALLERY: Larry Bird through the years

“Talked to Danny about a lot of trades, but never did one," Bird told the Times. "I just feel it’s gotta be a fair deal for both sides and we never got there. Maybe he thought it was fair, but I didn’t think so.”

First-year Lakers coach Luke Walton says he doesn't expect a renewed rivalry between Bird and Johnson in the front office.

“I’m sure media will build it up to be that," he told the Times. "Fans will enjoy reading about it. It’s not like Larry and Magic are competing on the phone and trying to duel against each other.”

Matthew VanTryon writes for The Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network.