Lakers’ Dodgers-Style Overhaul Took an Interesting Turn During the Season

The Los Angeles Lakers have been aggressive in their effort to mirror the Los Angeles Dodgers' front office, but not every move has been successful thus far.

Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers majority owner Mark Walter walks to the field for the team’s ring ceremony prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are determined to make some drastic changes this summer, with the team tweaking the roster around superstar Luka Doncic while also shaping the front office to mirror what the Los Angeles Dodgers have done under team owner Mark Walter.

Some of those front-office changes have already taken place, most notably Lon Rosen taking over for Tim Harris as the president of business operations. One notable change that is expected moving forward is the team bringing in two assistant general managers to work alongside longtime general manager Rob Pelinka.

However, one move the Lakers’ brass tried to make didn’t go as planned. The team reportedly reached out to Minnesota Timberwolves assistant general manager Steve Senior to be the executive vice president of basketball operations, but he turned down the job, according to Yaron Weltzman of Yahoo Sports.

Lakers Tried to Hire Timberwolves assistant GM Steve Senior in February

Nov 7, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman (left) and general manager Farhan Zaidi address the media at a press conference at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Around February, [Farhan] Zaidi started placing calls to agents representing front office and medical personnel to inquire about their clients. Around three months later, the Lakers offered Steve Senior, an assistant general manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the job of executive vice president of basketball operations. Senior, who declined to comment, decided to remain with the Timberwolves, according to multiple league sources.

Apparently, longtime Dodgers executives, Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, have been involved in the process of reshaping the Lakers front office.

That process is being led by Pelinka and longtime Lakers executive Kurt Rambis. But, according to league sources, Friedman and Zaidi have been involved in the process as well, with at least one of them typically sitting in on interviews.

With the Lakers expected to potentially make major changes this summer, it’ll be interesting to see what that entails and how that will impact what the team tries to do to address roster needs.

Los Angeles is rumored to be prepared to go after superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo during the offseason, with the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly open for business in terms of talking about trading the two-time NBA MVP.

Along with trying to land Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade, the Lakers’ front office will be busy trying to figure out what to do with more than half the roster hitting NBA free agency. Austin Reaves (player option) and LeBron James (unrestricted) will likely take priority, with other important decisions needing to be made on unrestricted free agents Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes.

Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton will also have decisions to make, with both veterans having player options for next season. There’s a chance one or both opt out to look for a long-term deal with the Lakers or elsewhere. They have until June 29 to make a decision on whether they’ll opt in or opt out.

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