It’s been almost five years and you can still trace so much of what’s gone wrong for the Los Angeles Lakers back to the Russell Westbrook trade. It was the last time they truly went all-in on the LeBron James-Anthony Davis core, and when the deal went south, there was no shortage of reporting about the role their two superstars played in making the trade happen. Ever since, there’s been a perpetual sense of kicking the can down the road.
When they failed to make a win-now move at the 2022 deadline, President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka stated “you can’t force another team” to make a trade. At media day that September, when asked about the team’s two remaining tradable first-round picks, he preached caution by saying “you have one shot to make a trade with multiple picks.” They wound up dealing one pick in 2023, but otherwise kept the powder dry for the next few years, with Pelinka insisting “if the right deal comes along and we have to put in draft picks, we will” in 2024 before reminding fans of the challenges of existing in “Apron World.”
They finally dealt another pick when Luka Dončić was presented to them on a silver platter. They swung big on Mark Williams days later, but rescinded the deal over medical concerns. He’s gone on to have a great year in Phoenix, and after the Lakers were knocked out of the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Pelinka likened rebuilding around Dončić during the season to “trying to build an airplane in the sky.” The 2025 offseason should have been a launching off point. Yet the Lakers acquired no players who figure to be long-term starters around Dončić. They made only a minor move at the 2026 deadline, turning a second-round pick into Luke Kennard. Pelinka argued that being picky was actually a form of aggression. “I would say we were aggressive. And one form of being aggressive is saying no to moves that come your way that might not be best for the short- and long-term future,” he argued.
Patience is probably the prudent course in theory. In practice, it’s going to be tough to stomach another preventable first-round exit. There has been a palpable sense since the Westbrook trade that the Lakers haven’t made the most of their star cores, whether it was the James-Davis version of the team or the budding Dončić-Austin Reaves core they have now. In a league filled with creative and unexpected blockbusters, the Lakers make excuses about why they haven’t been able to maximize the stars that they’ve had. The other teams want too much. The aprons are too restricting. The coach is the problem. That’s why Pelinka’s been around to hire four of them.
Even if there’s truth to this, it’s rung pretty hollow in light of the mistakes the Lakers keep making on the margins. Keeping picks doesn’t seem as prudent when you’re wasting them on Jalen Hood-Schifino and Dalton Knecht. The second apron didn’t even exist when they let Alex Caruso leave for less than the full mid-level exception. The never-ending pipeline of disappointing former lottery picks from their original teams to Los Angeles has led to far more misses than hits. As they prioritize these bigger names, they keep letting successful finds on the margins like Scotty Pippen Jr., Jay Huff and Jordan Goodwin slip through their fingers.
The excuses are a bit more palatable when a front office has earned trust. Laker fans, with good reason, have lost most of their trust in the Pelinka-led outfit the Lakers have relied on for almost a decade. So when Dodgers owner Mark Walter bought the team and reports of front office change followed, quite a few of those fans were eager for a new lead basketball executive.
But according to new chief business executive Lon Rosen, who spoke to reporters Tuesday, that isn’t happening. Pelinka will remain in his role as head of basketball operations for the Lakers with input from top Dodgers executives Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi and a presumably beefed-up front office underneath him. The Lakers fired most of their scouting staff earlier this season, and were known around the league for having a very small front office and support staff under the ownership of the Buss family. The idea for now seems to be building up the team’s infrastructure, but not making a change at the absolute top.
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Whether or not that decision proves to be the correct one will play out over time, but what’s clear at this point is that the time for excuses should be long over. Pelinka has every conceivable advantage going into the 2026 offseason.
His roster, aside from the Dončić-Reaves star duo, is basically a blank slate. There are a few scattered contracts (such as the regrettable extension Pelinka gave Jarred Vanderbilt or the player option he gave Deandre Ayton), but the Lakers are set for around $47 million or so in cap space if they want it. Can’t force other teams to trade with you? You have three tradable picks now. The draft misses, with a new scouting staff coming, can’t continue. The aprons may constrain every team, but if the way the Dodgers spend is any indication, the luxury tax won’t be a concern anymore. Letting players like Caruso walk for nothing should no longer be an issue. Dončić will be entering his third season as a Laker. The plane is safely on the ground. It’s time to refuel so it can take off.
Even some of the more nebulous concerns are starting to fade away. The Lakers were at one point so closely aligned with Klutch Sports that its CEO, Rich Paul, referred to the team as “us.” James and Davis, the two stars that reportedly pushed for the Westbrook trade, are Paul clients. But Davis is gone. James is set to be a free agent this offseason, and if he leaves, it’s hard to imagine they’ll hold onto his son, Bronny, who hasn’t shown much in two seasons. The only two Paul clients remaining on the roster would thereafter be Vanderbilt and Adou Thiero, two reserves. Dončić reportedly has been far more patient with the Lakers than James typically has been, and he even recruited Marcus Smart in free agency. There’s seemingly less concern here about agent or player overreach. The front office, at least for now, is getting left to do its job.
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Not every team would have been as forgiving of Pelinka’s last several years as the Lakers have been. General managers have been fired for far less than the Westbrook debacle. Plenty of owners would’ve gotten sick of the excuses. Pelinka has managed to survive the turbulent end to the James-Davis era and find himself at the start of a new one with just about every leg up an executive could ask for. The Lakers have an MVP candidate. They have a secondary star. They have draft picks and cap space. They have the Los Angeles market to recruit with, ownership with a proven track record in another sport and an eagerness to spend, and a franchise player that seems eager to collaborate.
It’s put-up-or-shut-up time. No more excuses. No more kicking the can down the road. Pelinka is staying in his position for now. If he’s going to prove he deserves to stay there, he needs to take advantage of this opportunity and get the Lakers into the championship mix as quickly as possible.
