The Los Angeles Lakers went through some drastic changes this year. Jim Buss and longtime general manager Mitch Kupchak were relieved of their duties with Magic Johnson and former agent Rob Pelinka replacing them in the team’s front office.
Although both Pelinka and Johnson have already started their new jobs with the Lakers, contract deals have yet to be released. That may have changed in terms of Pelinka’s deal with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst saying the following on the TrueHoop Podcast, via RealGM.com:
“Over the last few months, there’s been some general managers get some really good contracts,” said Windhorst. “Masai Ujiri signed a very lucrative contract extension in Toronto after getting them to the Conference Finals.
“Rob Pelinka got a very, I heard a five-year contract worth more than $20 million.”
With a five-year commitment, team president Jeanie Buss and company are putting a lot of faith in the first-time general manager. Pelinka served as an agent for superstars Kobe Bryant and James Harden for many years before making the leap to a position in an NBA front office, but he certainly has the confidence of Buss and Johnson as he embarks on his new career path.
As for Johnson, it remains a mystery what his deal with the team is and how long and lucrative it may be. Both he and Pelinka could be on five-year deals with each of them taking on a job they’ve never done before.
With the 2016-17 NBA season comes to a close for the Lakers, it’ll be interesting to see the moves made by the new dynamic duo in the team’s front office. It will be a very busy offseason for both men as they try to get the storied franchise back on the right track in the Los Angeles.