At the beginning of the offseason, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka spoke about expanding the front office with the hiring of two assistant GMs being a priority. The team would go on to hire Rohan Ramadas as their assistant GM of strategy and data systems, being in charge of the analytics department. However, the second assistant GM position still remains unfilled.
This second position would be in charge of the scouting and player development departments, an extremely important position, but the franchise still has been unable to land on the right person. And some people who were interested in the role were reportedly confused about the interview process, via Dan Woike of The Athletic:
The Lakers conducted interviews with multiple candidates dating back to last season but have yet to make a hire. People with interest in the position were left confused about the process, according to league sources.
Two candidates, Minnesota’s Steve Senior and Philadelphia’s Prosper Karangwa, are widely believed to have turned the Lakers down before staying with their current organizations. Adding the head of scouting is seen as the first step for the Lakers to address a longtime need: a lack of a robust pro scouting department. The Lakers’ 2025-26 media guide lists just three full-time domestic scouts and two international scouts. All, per league sources, had been primarily (if not fully) tasked with amateur scouting.
This is an extremely important role for the Lakers to fill as they build out their front office staff and it is a concern that it has yet to be filled. The scouting department has long been understaffed and that harms this franchise on multiple levels. Having a complete scouting and development department would do wonders for the Lakers, but that starts with finding the right person to lead it.
What exactly is causing this confusion for some, or why the team hasn’t made a hire remains unclear, especially since they were able to land on Ramadas to lead the analytics department relatively quickly. But whatever the case, the franchise needs to find that person soon.
Lakers considering adding Arthur Kaluma on two-way contract
The Lakers had some standout players during their recent Summer League run and one who surprised many was forward Arthur Kaluma who led the team in scoring in Las Vegas while shooting 50% from 3-point range. And his performance reportedly has the team considering rewarding him with a two-way contract.
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