It’s been an offseason to forget for the Los Angeles Lakers. The team missed out on their top choice at head coach when UConn’s Dan Hurley turned them down and now they’ve failed to land any notable free agents.
Klay Thompson seemed like a shoo-in to sign with the Lakers but he decided to go with the Dallas Mavericks instead. It’s been a rough offseason for the team’s front office, especially general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.
The Lakers have won two playoff series since the 2019-20 season and much of their struggles have been due to poor roster construction. 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 believes 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?”
Signing Thompson not signing with Los Angeles may be the most damming thing yet. If Pelinka can’t salvage this offseason, he could be in serious trouble.
How Long Is Rob Pelinka’s Leash?
Despite the Lakers’ struggles to build a decent roster during Pelinka’s tenure as general manager, he hasn’t appeared to be on the hot seat. That might start to change. He was able to blame LeBron James for the disastrous Russell Westbrook trade but the star player has made it a point to stay out of any front office decision this offseason.
There’s nowhere for Pelinka to hide anymore. If the Lakers aren’t good this season, it may finally be time for team governor Jeanie Buss to consider making a change. Pelinka has deep roots in the Lakers building due to the fact that he was Kobe Bryant’s agent. However, there’s no evidence that he can be a great general manager despite being in the role since 2017. The team may be better off hiring somebody with a more proven track record of building teams.
LeBron James Decides Against Taking Discount
Another knock on Pelinka is the fact that he couldn’t take advantage of James’ willingness to take a pay cut. 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 an impact player.
Well, that’s not happening anymore as The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on July 3 that 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. The Lakers front office has put together a masterclass of disfunction this offseason and unless ownership is willing to make tough decisions, things aren’t getting better anytime soon.
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