Lakers Hire New Assistant GM to Serve Under Rob Pelinka

The Los Angeles Lakers headed into the NBA offseason with a long checklist of things that needed to get done, from addressing the immediate futures of players like Austin Reaves and LeBron James to making changes to the front office.

Lakers Hire Rohan Ramadas as Assistant GM

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers have already completed one task, hiring an assistant general manager to serve under longtime general manager Rob Pelinka.

The Los Angeles Lakers made their first significant move of the offseason by hiring Rohan Ramadas as an assistant general manager under president and GM Rob Pelinka, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The hiring of Ramadas is the first of two assistant general managers the team is expected to bring in during the NBA offseason. He previously worked for the New Orleans Pelicans and was doing some pretty innovative things that caught the Lakers' brass's eye as the vice president of strategy and operations.

While working for the Pelicans, Ramadas implemented AI and coded models to aid the front office, the source told ESPN.

The Lakers are trying to keep up with the times in the NBA while remaining as progressive as possible to turn this franchise back into a perennial Western Conference title contender, which will be no easy task.

Clearly, the team is wasting no time making changes to the front office, with the next order of business being to hire another assistant general manager to help oversee and evaluate players ahead of the NBA Draft.

Presumably, that second hire will be made soon, with the 2026 NBA Draft right around the corner and the team having the No. 25 overall pick.

The Lakers only have one pick in the draft this year, and it remains to be seen if they’ll even bring in a player, as they could end up trading the pick, with Los Angeles expected to make a run at two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will potentially be moved by the Milwaukee Bucks before the first night of the draft on June 23.

There’s also a chance that the first-round pick gets traded in a different deal if the Bucks prefer other trade packages from other teams, with the Miami Heat rumored to be the favorite to land the one-time NBA champion.

The Lakers will likely be aggressive in their efforts to upgrade the roster this summer, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that the team could be involved in multiple trades and free agent signings.

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