
When the Los Angeles Lakers struggled mightily all through the 2021-22 season and the first part of this past season, general manager Rob Pelinka was on the hot seat.
Many criticized him for what they saw as the dismantling of a team that won the NBA championship in 2020. Instead of keeping the core of that squad together, he traded some of it away for Russell Westbrook in 2021. Management then compounded the image of ineptitude by not re-signing cult hero Alex Caruso and filling out the roster with players that were past their expiration date.