Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has gotten lots of criticism from fans for some questionable moves during his five years or so as the team’s executive.
Even when he quickly rebounded from losing out on Kawhi Leonard in July 2019 and put together a roster that won the NBA championship, some dismissed the moves he made, saying he was merely extremely fortunate his team won it all.
More recently, the Russell Westbrook trade, the decision to pass on acquiring DeMar DeRozan and letting Alex Caruso walk in free agency are just a few of the decisions that have drawn the ire of Lakers fans.
For better or worse, Pelinka has reportedly agreed to a contract extension that will keep him at the helm of the front office through 2026.
Via Lakers Daily:
“According to a Saturday report, the Los Angeles Lakers reached a contract extension with the team’s vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka earlier this summer.
“In fact, the extension reportedly was made official “around the time” of new head coach Darvin Ham’s hiring, which took place back in early June.”
Lakers VP of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka signed an extension through the 2025-26 season, aligning his deal with new coach Darvin Ham’s, league sources confirmed to ESPN. The deal was reached around the time of Ham’s hiring. Yahoo had it first.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 8, 2022
After what transpired last season, many have been calling on Los Angeles to fire Pelinka and replace him with someone more capable.
Even if Pelinka’s decision-making has been rather solid, another issue some point to is the fact that some other GMs reportedly don’t like or trust him, something that goes back to his days as a prominent NBA agent.
On the other hand, he has made some solid decisions this summer that have somewhat replenished the Lakers’ depth, even if they’re still one or two complementary players short of being a true title contender.
Regardless of what people think of him, it’s time for Pelinka to prove he deserves to still be the team’s executive for years to come.
