Lakers News: Rob Pelinka Prepared For Shortened NBA Offseason Schedule
Rob Pelinka, Lakers
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The 2020-21 NBA season is quickly approaching and with the Draft in the rearview mirror, teams were able to turn their full attention to free agency.

The Los Angeles Lakers did not make a draft pick as they sent their No. 28 selection and Danny Green to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Dennis Schroder. However, they did reportedly agree to a deal with undrafted free agent Zavier Simpson.

With the upcoming season slated to tipoff on Dec. 22, general manager Rob Pelinka faced little time to sort out the roster. Despite this, Pelinka explained that planning for these next couple of weeks has been in the works for months.

“If you look back over the last two or three seasons, we’ve really wanted to stay somewhat consistent and methodical in our approach and get locked in on the work,” he said. “I think it would be really easy to fall into the trap of being reactionary when you have a condensed set of dates, but our preparation for this period of time started months ago.

“There’s been a lot of planning and thought around it, so it was really more waiting for the NBA dates to finally get released. I don’t think just because it’s a condensed time or it’s coming faster than some people expected, means that we’re not prepared for the moment.

“I think we’ll just stay kind of methodical in our approach of trying to get better. Our ultimate goal for the 2020-21 season is of course to defend the title. We want to put in the work to optimize our goal and be in that position.”

As evidenced by last summer, Pelinka has demonstrated that he and the Lakers front office are well-prepared with options and pivots should free agency break any which way. Sure enough, that unfolded once again with the Lakers getting younger and arguably improving as well.

Lakers make splash in free agency

The Lakers started the process of retooling their roster by reportedly agreeing to a one-year contract with Wesley Matthews. Then after Dwight Howard reached a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, L.A. reached terms with Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell on a two-year contract.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

You May Also Like

Game Recap: Kobe Bryant’s Facilitating Leads Lakers To Victory Over Spurs

In 1996 Kobe scored his first career NBA point in Madison Square…

Lakers Rumors: L.A. Interested In Trade For Knicks Forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the more surprising teams so far in the Western Conference, currently sitting at 5-5…

Lakers Nation Wishes A Happy 75th Birthday To Lakers Legend Jerry West

Lakers Nation would like to take a moment to wish a very…

Austin Reaves Could Feel Difference In Lakers’ Energy Against Hornets

The first half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Charlotte Hornets went about as expected considering…