With general manager Mitch Kupchak and executive VP of basketball operations Jim Buss having been relieved of their duties in the Lakers’ front office, new president of basketball operations Magic Johnson will call the shots in L.A. However, the club remains on the lookout for a new GM, and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical and Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report (Twitter links), longtime player agent Rob Pelinka has emerged as a frontrunner for the position.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne first reported (via Twitter) that Pelinka, who represents Kobe Bryant and many current NBA players, was on the Lakers’ radar for a front office role. If the team decides to hire Pelinka, he would have to divest himself of his representation business, which would take some time, as Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter).
Several other rumors are swirling as the Lakers’ front office undergoes major changes, so let’s round them up…
- Assuming the Lakers haven’t already decided on Pelinka, there are a number of other potential candidates believed to be on their radar, per Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter links). According to Amick, Blazers GM Neil Olshey, former Cavs GM Chris Grant, Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard, and Pacers VP of basketball operations Peter Dinwiddie are worth keeping an eye on.
- ESPN’s Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that another veteran player agent – Arn Tellem – is also said to be a potential target for the Lakers. However, as Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets, Tellem – who formerly represented Kobe Bryant – has been very involved in the Pistons‘ move to downtown Detroit and seems unlikely to bolt in the middle of that project.
- Magic Johnson has previously talked about wanting Bryant to have a role in the Lakers’ front office. Shelburne tweets that the future Hall-of-Famer is “happy doing what he’s doing,” but would be available to the organization if needed.
- Jerry West hasn’t been approached by the Lakers about a role in the team’s front office, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. According to Ding (via Twitter), West won’t be a part of the club’s new management group.
- According to Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News (Twitter links), one reason the Warriors were motivated to give GM Bob Myers a promotion and a raise last summer was to avoid making him a target for the Lakers.
Jerry West would be the best man for the job. Doesn’t sound like anybody is doing the smartest thing for the team rather looking for a puppet and Jerry West not considered because he won’t be a puppet because he knows what he’s doing. He’s good at recognizing talent and knows the franchise and was a big part of their past success. If Magic wants to be successful he should consider West and bring back the showtime.
Talk about an easy fix. Just insert Magic who already spends time with his Dodgers and community businesses. The answer does not lie in the past. This hire is about heart and familiarity not about who is best for the job.
Jerry West is under contract with the Warriors to the end of the season, and he has a stake in the team as part of his contract, so wouldn’t he have to sell all that to run another team? Plus he’s almost 80 years old.
Take Kevin Pritchard please. His master acquisition of Al Jefferson alone is enough for me to want him gone.