Has Rob Pelinka Been Overly Scrutinized?

For years Lakers fans have been calling for Pelinka to be fired, but has it all been warranted? I take a look at all Pelinka has done during his 7 years in the Lakers front office.

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Nightmare on Figueroa Street

The Lakers are undoubtedly one of the most popular and glamorous franchises in American sports history, but that comes with a cost. Fans only have one expectation going into each and every season: Championships.

The period from 2014 to 2019 was a tough one for the Lakers, to say the least. A franchise that had experienced nothing but championship contenders led by the league’s best players had suddenly become unrecognizable. Year after year they missed out on big-time free agents. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kyle Lowry, and the list goes on and on. And each summer they would clear out just enough cap space to ensure they could land these players, and each summer came with more disappointment and embarrassment than the last. Because of the constant clearing of cap space and then waiting for the big-time free agents, they kept having to settle for what was left. Not only that, they had to drastically overpay them to hit the minimum salary floor outlined in the CBA (90% of the salary cap). Every Lakers fan remembers the nightmare offseason that took place in 2016. They were forced to give Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng each 4-year contracts for a total of 136 million dollars. Mozgov had never made more than 5 million in one season, and Luol Deng had shown signs of decline the previous year in Miami, before averaging the lowest PPG total of his career at 7.1 (4 PPG less than his rookie year). For two years Laker fans pinched themselves hoping to wake up from these horribly overpaid nightmares. After Kobe’s final season and yet another season of failing to eclipse 30 wins, it was time for new management in LA. 

Transitioning Towards Agents

After a successful tenure as Lakers GM, Mitch Kupchak was ultimately fired before the end of the 2017 season. His time in LA (as an executive) included four championships, but after missing out on big free agents and giving out one bad contract after another, the organization felt it was time for a fresh perspective. Enter Rob Pelinka. 

Rob Pelinka was hired as the Lakers GM in March 2017 after running a successful agency where he represented Kobe Bryant. Kobe was no doubt Pelinka’s biggest client, but he also represented James Harden, Andre Iguodala, and Carlos Boozer just to name a few. Pelinka came in during a time in the NBA when agents were being heavily sought after for executive roles. While agents may not always have the most extensive knowledge of the game, they do have an incredible understanding of the CBA, how business is done in basketball, and most importantly relationships with players. 

Pelinka was hired during a time in the NBA when teams became very interested in hiring agents into front-office roles. The first, and most successful, of these hirings was Bob Myers. Myers took over as the Warriors assistant GM in April 2011 and was then promoted to GM a year later. He is responsible for drafting and assembling one of the most successful dynasties in NBA history, winning four championships and two executive of the year awards during his 11 years in Golden State. He was one of the best there is at managing players and getting guys to buy in, which is the most underrated part of being a GM. Leon Rose is the most recent agent to front office success story. The Knicks were in a similar place as the Lakers in the 2010s. Even though they had Carmelo Anthony and resided in a massive market, they struggled to draw in talent. The final straw was the 2019 offseason when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving famously joined the Knicks rival, and long thought of as “little brother,” the Brooklyn Nets. In March 2020 the Knicks hired Leon Rose, a head agent at CAA, a massive athlete agency, and one of the most decorated agents in NBA history. He represented LeBron (before Rich Paul) and was responsible for bringing the Miami Big Three together. Rose was able to bring Brunson to New York because of his relationship with the up-and-coming guard (he happens to be Brunson's godfather). From there, the Knicks were able to land free agents to surround their young star and have transformed into a legitimate title contender. 

Pelinka’s Inheritance and Championship

Now back to Pelinka. He was hired to bring in the high-level talent that the Lakers and their fans had been accustomed to for decades. For years they went through the same cycle: missing out on big free agents, scraping the bottom of the barrel to field a team around Kobe, Kobe aging and getting injured, disappointing season finishing off with a high draft pick. Pelinka came in and immediately got to work on getting the Lakers back to being the Lakers. 

Pelinka inherited a mess of a team, there’s no way around that. However, the moves he made when he first got to LA were masterful and do not get talked about enough. He was first able to offload that awful Timofey Mozgov contract to Brooklyn, for an expiring Brook Lopez max contract. The Nets had failed their experiment with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and were looking for a fresh start. Not only was he able to get rid of Mozgov, who had averaged 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds while making 16 million dollars, but he swapped former number two pick D’Angelo Russell for the 27th pick in the upcoming draft. NBA fans may remember the drama between Russell and teammate Nick Young that resulted in a relationship that was beyond repair and had become a major distraction. That 27th pick would turn into Kyle Kuzma; third option and instrumental piece during the Lakers 2020 championship.

Next, Pelinka knew that the next offseason, 2018, LeBron James would be a free agent and had interest in coming to LA. He knew he HAD to make sure they had the money to get him. Starting with getting rid of the Mozgov contract above and Russell’s contract, the Lakers could afford to give LeBron his 35% max contract. But, he knew that he would need the financial flexibility to build around him in the coming years. Pelinka was able to negotiate with Luol Deng to give back 7.5 million of the 36.8 million he was still owed. Having the financial flexibility to absorb a majority of that money during LeBron’s first year, he waited to waive Deng until September 1st (the first day that contracts cannot be stretched) paying him his guaranteed 14,345,067 million in dead money for that season. The stretch provision allows for a waived contract to be stretched over a longer period to not absorb so much dead money at once. You take the remaining years of the deal, multiply it by two, then add one year onto that. The money is then evenly distributed over those years. So, Deng would then only be owed 5 million a season for the next three years (he had one year remaining on his contract at 15 million). Everyone around the league likes to joke about Deng being on the Laker’s payroll for years after he retired, but it was a smart move by Pelinka. 

The Lakers disappointingly missed the 2019 playoffs as it was LeBron's first time not in the postseason since his second season in the league. However, I think everyone in the league knew this team of LeBron James and young talent was not a championship roster. It was no secret LeBron wanted to play with a guy like Anthony Davis who had just so happened to have his issues with the Pelicans during the 2018-2019 season. Davis, one of the biggest young stars in the NBA, was unhappy with the Pelican’s lack of success and wanted a new start in LA with King James. On paper, this was a match made in heaven. Davis had already established himself as one of the best defenders in the league, but the thought of LeBron’s IQ and playmaking brilliance combined with Davis’s skill and athleticism for his size made for an almost unstoppable two-man game. After shipping out young guys, who while beloved, didn’t necessarily fit with the Lakers plans anymore, and multiple first-round picks, including the 5th overall pick the Lakers luckily received in the lottery, Anthony Davis was a Laker. 

After years of being unable to land big names, Pelinka came in and secured two of the biggest stars in the game in just two years. Additionally, Kawhi Leonard was coming off one of the greatest playoff runs of all time by a single player and just so happened to be a free agent. It was pretty obvious he wanted to leave Toronto, and his preferred destination was LA where he had grown up. A big three of Kawhi, AD, and LeBron was almost a surefire championship team. The Lakers had once again cleared the cap space and it seemed Kawhi was set to become a Laker. But then the unthinkable happened. On July 6, 2019, in the span of just a couple hours, the Los Angeles Clippers had signed Leonard and traded for another LA native superstar, Paul George (who the Lakers happened to miss out on a year before). All of a sudden, the Lakers were once again left with no star and lots of cap space. But this summer was different. Pelinka did not panic and overpay the top names available. He was able to land Kawhi’s longtime teammate Danny Green on a very affordable 15 million dollar deal, as well as getting very good role-playing veterans to fill out the roster. Bringing in Javale Mcgee, Dwight Howard, Rajan Rondo, Avery Bradley, and Markieff Morris for less than 10 million combined dollars is a testament to Pelinka’s ability to get guys to buy in and play a different role than some were used to playing, in hopes to win a championship (and of course, it helps when you have LeBron James and Anthony Davis). After winning the 2020 championship, the Lakers had returned to the top of the NBA mountain in just three years since Pelinka was hired.

The Westbrook Trade

The season after the Lakers won a championship was extremely disappointing. They had gone out and improved their roster from the previous season, but health was a major issue for an aging LeBron and an injury-riddled Davis who only played a combined 92 games during the 2021-2022 season. After narrowly escaping the play-in and losing a non-competitive series to the Suns, the Lakers season was over. This was not up to the franchise’s standards and especially not to the fans’ standards. The fans were already calling for a change, and with health now being a massive concern, it seemed logical to go out and get a third star to make up for the games missed by James and Davis. That third star was Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook was coming off a season averaging 22, 11, and 11 for the Wizards. He was one of the biggest names in the NBA, played his college ball down the road at UCLA, but most importantly had LeBron’s endorsement. To say LeBron did not have at least some say in this trade is ludicrous as a top priority of Pelinka and the rest of the Lakers was to keep him happy. The Lakers sacrificed three major role players in KCP, Kuzma, and Montrez Harrel for the most ball-dominant player in NBA history. Pairing a guy who had the highest usage rate in the NBA for 11 straight years alongside two stars who also needed the ball was a recipe for disaster. Outside of transition, their offense was one of the worst in the league. They were bottom 10 in offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) and as a result were outscored by 3.6 points per 100 possessions (per Cleaning the Glass). Having zero financial flexibility resulted in the team consisting of veteran minimum players whose days of contributing were for the most part over, while having their Three and D guys not be efficent either of those things. This led to them finishing 24th in three-point percentage at 35%, and a defensive rating of 115.7 (points allowed per 100 possessions) which placed them 16th in the league even with Anthony Davis, one of the best defenders in the league.

As we all know, the Westbrook experience in LA was a total failure. After failing to even make the play-in, once again Pelinka was called out by fans to be fired. But this time they may have had a point. This trade seemingly left the Lakers stranded, there was very little to be excited about in LA in the present and the future. After being forced to run it back, the 2022-23 season was off to an even worse start as the Lakers were staring at the 13th seed heading into the trade deadline. That was until Pelinka pulled off the seemingly impossible. 

Not only was he able to get rid of the Westbrook contract and just overall toxic situation, but he was able to bring in three young players who could contribute right away alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Pelinka had saved the season and the Lakers pushed all the way from the 13th seed to the 7th seed while eventually making it to the conference finals. It is often forgotten that they did all this without LeBron James up until the playoffs. Pelinka had given Lakers fans excitement again and pulled off a miraculous mid-season move that drastically changed the franchise’s future trajectory.

2024 Offseason

Satisfied with what he saw from his new revamped team, the 2023 offseason consisted of locking up those key role players for the future which was a rare move for the Lakers. Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt all received new deals that would keep them below the dreaded second apron in the upcoming off-season. However, after a deja vu-like 2023-2024 season of winning the 7th seed before a lopsided playoff loss to the Nuggets, fans once again were crying out for Pelinka to be relieved of his duties. 

With the new apron rules instituted, it was no longer easy for a team like the Lakers to go out and make a trade for a huge star. To avoid being hard capped at the first apron, teams could not take back one cent more in a deal. The Westbrook trade would not have been close to working in this new CBA as Westbrook made more than the combined salaries of KCP, Kuzma, and Harrell. If you think that is extreme, don’t worry the second apron is worse. You are not allowed to take back more than a cent in a trade, as well as not being able to aggregate contracts in a trade. This means you cannot add three players’ salaries together to equal the salary of one player. What this does is essentially limit teams to trading star for star if they are in the second apron or want to avoid being hard-capped at it. For the Lakers to trade for a superstar player this offseason would mean shipping out AD or LeBron which was obviously not happening, or combining the salaries of all their key role players and picks. This meant shifting focus to signing mid-level free agents. 

I am sure we’re all aware of LeBron’s generous act to take a major pay cut in order to use the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception to sign one of four players on his alleged list. Another restriction of the first apron is that you cannot use the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception unless you are below the threshold, and if you do use it you are handicapped at that number (178 million). The Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception is a percentage of the salary cap that allows teams to sign players when over the soft cap. LeBron would wait to sign his new deal, and if the NTMLE was used on one of these players, sign on a low number to keep them below their new hard cap. As we know, the front office could not land any of these players. Pelinka once again was ridiculed and called for his time in LA to be over. However, his hands were pretty much tied and LeBron placed him in a tricky spot.

The first name on the list was Klay Thompson. After a sour ending in Golden State, Klay wanted a new start. Even though he was on this list and it was the mighty Lakers targeting him, there was never really a chance he would head to LA. Why would Klay want to head to the most toxic media and fan organization in the NBA, after leaving Golden State for precisely those reasons? Not to mention the Mavericks had a 16.6 million dollar trade exception they could sign and trade him into, while the Lakers could only offer the 12.8 million dollar NTMLE. 

The second name was by far the most surprising: Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas ended up signing for 10 million with the Wizards, which the Lakers could have afforded. However, I can’t help but feel like AD had a say in this with his known preference of playing power forward. Valanciunas ability to stretch the floor is highly overstated as he only shot 31% last season taking only 15% of his shots from three. Davis' ability to stretch the floor has long abandoned him which would just cause traffic jams in the lane for LeBron James, especially after looking at the Laker’s spacing issues last season ranking 28th in three-point frequency (per Cleaning the Glass). They were the best team in the NBA at the rim, but as we saw that can only get you so far in the modern NBA. 

I’m going to lump the last two together, that being James Harden and Demar Derozan. While Harden did show his ability to play well alongside two superstars last season, he is right up there with Westbrook as one of the highest-usage players of all time. We know how that ended the first time around. Oh, and there is the small detail that Harden resigned with the Clippers for 35 million dollars, almost triple what the Lakers could offer. Then there was Derozan. An LA native who has been on the Lakers and LeBron’s radar for years now. However, he also signed for far above the NTMLE at 24 million a year in a sign-and-trade with the Kings. While Derozan is a proven winner and big-time scorer, he would not help the Laker’s biggest problem of taking and making threes at a consistent rate. DeRozan takes 60% of his shots from the mid-range and only 14% from three, one of the lowest in the league. (per Cleaning the Glass). 

While it may seem like Pelinka wasted LeBron’s generous gesture this offseason, the reality is he had to work with what he was given which was still not much. The harsh truth is that in the era of the new CBA, having two max contracts on your roster is the formula and ultimately limits you in building a team. Until LeBron and Davis are gone this will be the norm for the Lakers during the offseason.

Conclusion

I think Rob Pelinka has received far too much blame and scrutiny during his time in LA. He not only brought them out of the darkest time in franchise history and returned them to glory, but he consistently made great moves with what he was given. Yes, the Westbrook trade was a major blunder, but you’re delusional if you think the pressure from LeBron, the fans, and the owners did not play a part in that. Even with this major blunder, he masterfully pulled off a trade that would keep them competitive while also maintaining and adding young players to keep the franchise relevant for the post-LeBron years. If you can find another GM who can handle the pressure of working with not only the most criticized and talked about franchise in basketball, but player as well, then maybe you have a case but that seems near impossible. Unfortunately, Lakers fans have a very short memory and expect excellence every year, but the new rules in place are specifically designed to limit this. It is time to accept the new NBA and the restrictions that come with it for big markets. 

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