After Strong Offseason, Will Lakers GM Rob Pelinka Finally Win Exec of the Year?
No NBA team has had a better summer than your Los Angeles Lakers. Okay, maybe Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has while celebrating his championship, but the Lakers have put together a solid off-season plan.
So the question needs to be asked: Is this the season that General Manager Rob Pelinka wins Executive of the Year?
They prioritized continuity over star chasing, the first sign that the team has learned from previous mistakes. Bringing back the majority of the core from their run to the Western Conference Finals last season gives them a chance to improve on the results from last year.
Re-signing forward Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell to team-friendly deals gives this team a chance this season, while also allowing for flexibility down the line. It also gives them a shot to finish the business that they left on the table a year ago.
Alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James, these players thrived and helped make Los Angeles one of the best teams in the league post-trade deadline.
In addition, the Lakers upgraded around the margins of their roster, targeting different weaknesses from a year ago. They brought in Taurean Prince to play the three-and-D role for this team. Prince, a career 37.2 percent shooter from beyond the three-point line, should allow them to spread the floor effectively, without compromising their strong defense.
They replaced Dennis Schroder with Gabe Vincent, a younger and better three-point shooter. His strong defensive abilities and toughness should help this team once the playoffs come around.
LA also signed high-upside players in Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes, both of whom were cast off from their previous teams but remain young enough to still show promise. They were top-10 picks for a reason after all. And learning from a player like James should help both players figure out how to maximize their skills in this league.
And now the cherry on top of it all is the signing of big man Christian Wood. Wood had been talked about for quite some time in Laker land, but now it's official. Having a guy who can score over 15 points per game coming off the bench is a luxury for this team.
Even with some of the downsides that he brings like his defense, Wood is a steal for the price that they are paying him. He has a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the NBA and will get to do that on a contending team.
General Manager Rob Pelinka has executed everything to almost perfection, and it has set LA up for major success this coming season. The upcoming season will be his best shot to finally capture the Executive of the Year award that has alluded him over the years.
He was wrongly denied the award in 2020, finishing in seventh place. This is his time to shine, and after much doubt about his ability to do this job, he has shown everyone what he is capable of doing with limited resources.
Of course, the Lakers still need to perform on the court. But if they do so like many believe they will, the award should be Pelinka's to lose. No other team around the NBA has had as good of an offseason as Los Angeles has.
As James said in his speech after the team won the 2020 NBA title, put some respect on Rob Pelinka's name. The 2023-2024 season will be here soon, and he has helped set the Lakers up for the task of winning Banner 18.
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