Behind a strong offseason from general manager Rob Pelinka, the Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up for a hopeful run at a championship in the 2023-24 season. For the first time in a couple seasons, there appears to be complete alignment between the goals of Pelinka, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and head coach Darvin Ham.
The Lakers maintained their core from the second half of last season with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and D’Angelo Russell while adding some enticing ancillary pieces like Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince and Jaxson Hayes.
It was an impressive summer from Pelinka, and perhaps no one is more happy with how things went than Buss. The Lakers governor spoke about Pelinka’s pre-work during last season’s trade deadline that set the table for a strong showing in free agency this summer, according to Mark Medina of SportsKeeda:
“It was a wonderful run at the end of the season after the trade deadline. You can dial it back to the [Rui] Hachimura trade with bringing in a player that fit in nicely with the team that we had. Then Rob furthered at the trade deadline by making moves that really fit the way that Coach Ham wanted to play. I really like how Rob talked about pre agency and that we got a chance to look at someone like Rui and how he fit in on our team so that we had the first option at bringing him back. Instead of waiting for free agency to make moves, he did it by making trades during the season. I thought the way he handled it was really strategic. He and Darvin were on the same page as to what they wanted to accomplish in terms of roster building.”
Buss continued by discussing the exact moves that Pelinka and Ham made that were in perfect alignment with one another:
“It was a strategic and well-planned execution with the team that they wanted to build. It wasn’t about, ‘Hey, let’s look at who is available’ and ‘Do we have enough money to spend on this player in free agency?’ They knew what they wanted well in advance. It was clear that the team that we got to the Conference Finals with, they wanted to try to keep together.
“They did a good job at that. With the players that we needed to replace, I think they pivoted with good pickups. A player like Gabe Vincent is really significant with picking up a player that fits the style of play that our coach wants to play.”
The new-look Lakers are not only ready to compete on the court, it seems that the entire front office is in agreement on their plans moving forward. That type of buy-in from all parties makes competing a little bit easier.
If moves need to be made at the deadline to improve the Lakers even more, Pelinka can act knowing he has the full confidence and support of Buss.
Buss believes Lakers will retire James’ jersey
While James still has at least one more season as a member of the Lakers, Buss is already looking into the rafters for a potential spot to put his jersey. The Lakers have remained consistent over the years that Hall of Famers to win championships in a Laker uniform get their jersey retired.
James already fits that bill and will have his jersey retired shortly after getting inducted when he eventually retires, Buss said.
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