As general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, Rob Pelinka is tasked with one of the more difficult jobs in the country.
He’s in charge of retooling a top-heavy roster through trades and the presumed call for moves from LeBron James surely doesn’t make his job easier. James is still playing at a high level and no one knows how much longer he can keep up this pace. That only adds pressure to upgrade the roster near the trade deadline.
How much input Pelinka receives from his stars LeBron and Anthony Davis going into the deadline is unclear. Pelinka has mentioned before that he keeps those two in the loop for free agency deals and uses their advice, though final decisions are made by him.
Pelinka made clear that he will handle the trade discussions as the deadline approaches.
“I think we’ve said before, our captains LeBron [James] and Anthony Davis are always involved in what Coach Ham is doing, what the front office is doing, and at the same time, I think LeBron said it really well at the press conference the other night when he said my job is to play basketball,” he said.” The front office’s job is to do their job and to build a roster, and Coach Ham’s job is to coach. I agree with that we all have to do our jobs and do them with excellence and all be together, and that’s how we operate and will continue to operate.”
Pelinka recently said the front office will deal their first-round picks only if it elevates L.A. to championship front-runners — an outlook that some may argue does not align with James’ mindset. He famously tweeted “LEGEND. My type of Guy!” last year when a video surfaced of Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead wearing a shirt that said, “F— them picks.”
LeBron was asked if he agreed with Pelinka’s stance after Wednesday night’s game. He reiterated that he will let Pelinka handle the trade discussions while he focuses on his on-court play.
With a week and a half remaining until the trade deadline, Pelinka has important decisions at hand.
Pistons requiring at least one unprotected first-round pick for Bojan Bogdanovic
The asking price for popular Lakers trade target Bojan Bogdanovic has not moved. The Pistons are still requiring at least one unprotected first-round pick.
Bogdanovic, a 6-foot-8 forward who is shooting 41% from deep this season, fits the Lakers’ immediate needs for a 3-and-D wing. L.A. has the 2027 and 2029 first-round picks that they can decide to move.
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