Los Angeles Lakers Extend Rob Pelinka’s Contract

The Los Angeles Lakers are solidifying the core of their organization for the foreseeable future. After signing JJ Redick to a four-year deal in the offseason, the Lakers have now secured their future success with the recent extension of Rob Pelinka’s contract. Along with the extension, his title has been extended to President of Basketball Operations in addition to his already General Manager status.

With the recent success of the team including the blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic, it’s no wonder the LA Lakers want to keep their core management intact. Under Rob Pelinka, the Los Angeles Lakers have experienced a renaissance of success, star players, and postseason appearances. Pelinka first joined the Lakers front office in 2017.

In 2018 they acquired LeBron James who was still in his prime. They then acquired superstar Anthony Davis the next year in 2019 and won a title in 2020. He also signed a star in the making Austin Reaves as an undrafted free agent. This year they managed to leverage Davis and a few others to acquire another superstar in Luka Doncic. Three generational talents acquired in 8 years with a championship and multiple playoff appearances. Not a bad start with the Lakers at all.

As reported by ESPN analyst Shams Charania, Luka is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, so having multi-year deals with both the head coach and president/general manager should play a large role in Doncic’s decision. Austin Reaves has become a household name by now with a career year this season and will most likely be with the team for a while as well.

Stephen A. Smith has held Rob Pelinka in high regard for a while, and stated early last week on First Take that “Rob Pelinka is a candidate for executive of the year with the job that he’s done this year and what he’s pulled off.”

Brian Windhorst stated the same idea on an episode of NBA Today when discussing the breaking news of his extension, and how the Luka Doncic trade all but secured his future with the Lakers. “I would expect him to win executive of the year. If he does not win executive of the year…. there should be an investigation. As one NBA executive told me, the Lakers annihilated this trade deadline. Here are the fruits of that result”

With a very solid main core of future players and management being put together, the Lakers have a very good chance to have sustained, long-term success. They will undoubtedly try and build a roster centered around Luka and Austin Reaves after LeBron James retires in a few seasons and have come a long way in the past few years. The days of the Russel Westbrook experience seem far behind them, as do the D-Lo days. This new small core can very well sustain an organization that prides itself on historical excellence and will propel the Lakers into a future filled with optimism.

Will Los Angeles Lakers Get Kevin Durant Next Season?

With the acquisition of at least three future hall of famers in the past eight years, rumors have been swirling for some time that the Lakers could end up with another superstar next year. Kevin Durant is suspected of wanting out of the disastrous situation he’s in with the Phoenix Suns, and the Lakers could possibly address that unspoken desire. They have some draft capital and assets that they could use to acquire Durant. If a trade were to happen, it would likely involve Dalton Knecht, Jared Vanderbilt, and probably another player or pick.

The trade would see a starting five of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Jaxson Hayes. Yikes. They would essentially have an All-Star starting lineup, and most of them are future hall of famers. The answer to the question of could the Lakers do this is probably yes, but should they?

Durant is reaching the end of his career, though his numbers are still very high. He averaged around 27 points per game this season, but he is still an aging superstar. It might be wiser to begin the buildup of future talent rather than going all-in on an older player in the hopes he would help deliver one or two championships before he calls it a career.

There’s also the uncertainty of what they would have to give up to get him and how that could set them back a few years. After all, it took them a while to recover from going all in during their 2020 championship season, where they bet their short-term future to achieve greatness immediately. They experimented with getting Russell Westbrook and DeAngelo Russell, neither of which worked very well within the Lakers system. Durant would however fit in well with the offense that JJ Redick has put in place, and having another elite shooter on the floor would only accentuate the strengths of the team.

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