Rob Pelinka has already completed eight years as the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, and now he is set to tack on more time to his run.
The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Friday that they have signed Pelinka to a new contract extension. Pelinka is also now adding the title of president of basketball operations for the Lakers along with his role as GM, the team added in their release.
“For eight seasons, I have relied on Rob’s vision and leadership to do what’s best for the Lakers organization,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was quoted as saying. “I value his partnership and professionalism and believe in his ability to deliver championship-caliber basketball for Los Angeles and Lakers fans everywhere.”
The 55-year-old Pelinka, who notably served as the agent for the late Kobe Bryant, became GM of the Lakers in 2017. While the early part of his tenure was marred by clashes with his then-front office partner Magic Johnson, Pelinka was ultimately the architect of the Lakers team that won the 2020 NBA title after the signing of LeBron James and the trade for Anthony Davis.
In the aftermath of that 2020 championship, Pelinka whiffed on several moves, including making the disastrous 2021 trade for Russell Westbrook, letting Alex Caruso leave in free agency, using a first-round draft pick on Jalen Hood-Schifino in 2023, and generally failing to provide the James-Davis core with a workable supporting cast. Even as recently as last fall, people were still criticizing Pelinka over his supposed shortcomings.
But Pelinka won back all the goodwill and then some last February when he pulled off one of the biggest triumphs in NBA history by acquiring 26-year-old superstar Luka Doncic in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks. Pelinka also hit on the Lakers’ head coaching hire of JJ Redick, and the team was able to win 50 games this season and land the No. 3 seed in an absolutely loaded Western Conference.
No matter what happens this postseason, Pelinka will still have some work to do, especially since his most recent trade attempt ended up getting rescinded. But Pelinka has clearly done enough to earn the trust of Lakers ownership for several more years to come.
