This summer will be an extremely important one for the Los Angeles Lakers, but not just about on-court progress and building up the roster. With new owner Mark Walter entering his first offseason since purchasing the franchise, the Lakers entire front office is set for a rebuild as well.
The team is expected to expand it’s staff in many different departments, but perhaps the most important additions will be two assistant general managers who will work with Rob Pelinka. The search has already begun on that front and according to Yaron Weitzman of Yahoo Sports, Los Angeles Dodgers executives Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi have been part of the interview process:
Pelinka recently told reporters the team will be hiring a pair of assistant general managers; one focused on personnel, the other on strategy and analytics. “We have started a wide search and begun interviews,” he said. 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.
When Walter officially took over as Lakers owner, it was expected that he would lean on some of those within the Dodgers organization who helped him build that franchise into what it is today. And it is known that both have had many conversations with Pelinka on different topics in order to aid him in the decisions he has to make with the Lakers, so them sitting in during these interviews isn’t too much of a surprise.
Having different people involved in the process will allow all of them to see things from different viewpoints and ultimately make the right decision in who they bring into the fold. Nailing these assistant general manager hirings is extremely important as getting the proper staff in the building will allow for them to properly build the roster. Everyone within the Lakers must be aligned from top to bottom and Friedman and Zaidi being involved increases the likelihood of ensuring things line up the way this franchise needs.
Rob Pelinka: tanking is not in Lakers’ infrastructure
These days in the NBA, many teams resort to tanking in order to give themselves the best chances at a top draft pick in hopes of landing a franchise player. The Lakers, however, have never been a franchise to go that route and Pelinka recently reiterated that tanking is simply not a part of the their infrastructure.
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