Getty Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
It’s been an offseason to forget for the Los Angeles Lakers. The team missed out on its top choice at head coach when UConn’s Dan Hurley turned them down, and they’ve failed to land notable free agents.
Klay Thompson seemed like a shoo-in to sign with the Lakers before signing with Dallas Mavericks instead, according to reports. It’s been a rough offseason for the team’s front office, especially general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.
Fox Sports’ Nick Wright took Pelinka to task for his lack of action this offseason.
“So what does Rob Pelinka do?” Wright said in a July 1 video posted by “First Things First” on X. “Like seriously. You have the greatest player ever being like, ‘Hey, I’ll take less money if you can land somebody,’ and the Dallas Mavericks? … They’ve been striking out on free agents for a decade. The Dallas Mavericks win a bidding war for a player whose dad is your broadcaster?”
Wright also said that Pelinka has been set up for success but has continued to fail.
“You can’t sign the coach you try to sign,” Wright said, referencing Hurley. “You can’t land Klay. What does he do? What more help does Rob Pelinka need is my question?”
Thompson’s not signing with Los Angeles may be Pelinka’s most damning failure. However, before letting Thompson get away and before drafting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, Pelinka still had the confidence of Lakers ownership, according to a June 11 story by Lakers Daily’s Anthony Irwin.
“So what does Rob Pelinka do?” — @getnickwright
How Long Is Rob Pelinka’s Leash?
“Rob Pelinka finds himself in a familiar spot, needing to recover after not acquiring his primary target,” Irwin wrote after Hurley rebuffed the Lakers. “For what it’s worth, sources say it’s unlikely this increases the temperature on his seat.”
And Darren Albert of Larry Brown Sports characterized Pelinka’s situation as him having “some goodwill banked” with the Lakers.
The Lakers have won only two playoff series since the 2019-20 season, but he “does figure to have a very long leash since he put together the roster that won the NBA championship in 2020,” Albert wrote.
Pelinka received high marks in late June for drafting Knecht with the 17th pick and Bronny James with the 55th pick.
“Knecht will be an instant contributor to the team, but it’s Bronny and LeBron hitting the court together as the first father-son duo together in the NBA that fans will come to see each night,” Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek wrote, grading the Lakers’ draft an “A.” “It’s a home run for general manager Rob Pelinka in keeping his star player happy and adding a plug-and-play perimeter shooter who can log minutes right away.”
The Sporting News and USA Today gave Pelinka and the Lakers an A+. While The Athletic gave them an A-.
LeBron James Decides Against Taking Discount
Pelinka could be criticized for not taking of advantage of James’ willingness to take a pay cut in order to sign an impact player. According to a June 30 report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, James was ready to take a discounted contract to help give the Lakers more room to add a player such as DeMar DeRozan.
That won’t be happening because, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania on July 3, James is taking a two-year max contract worth $104 million. The team no longer has any room to add free agents who want more than a minimum contract.