Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has typically made moves in silence, and that was again the case on Saturday night when he finalized a blockbuster trade to acquire Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
Coming on the heels of a big win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, no one knew that a trade that would reshape the entire landscape of the league would be coming shortly after. LeBron James didn’t even know that his team was trading his co-star Anthony Davis for Doncic.
Pelinka got the deal done though and Doncic is officially a member of the Lakers. After the announcement of the trade, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison held a press conference and commended Pelinka for keeping everything quiet, via WFAA:
“I’d like to give Rob Pelinka a lot of credit. You guys have been around here, trades don’t happen at the smallest level without stuff getting out. Rob and I were able to have really intense conversations over the course of three or four weeks. It started out as a coffee that was more, ‘Hey, would you ever?’
“‘I don’t know, would I? let me think.’ And then it it built upon that and we kept it between us. We had to, we had to keep it tight. (Jason) Kidd didn’t know about it. But J-Kidd and I are aligned and we talk about archetypes and we talk about the culture that we want to create. So I know the type of players that that he likes without actually talking to him… So I know that. And and J-Kidd coached him when they won a championship. So I think when you’re aligned with your coach like that, I know the type of players that he likes and so I felt good about it making sense to where we’re trying to go.”
It appears that Pelinka and Harrison were in talks about a potential deal for the last few weeks. For there to be absolutely no leaks about it beforehand in this day in age is pretty shocking and a credit to both general managers.
There obviously were a lot of moving pieces to sort out, but Pelinka was able to get a deal done to bring L.A. its next superstar to build around for years to come.
Rob Pelinka on Lakers’ trade for Luka Doncic
After the trade became official, Rob Pelinka released a statement welcoming Luka Doncic to L.A. and discussing what he will bring to the Lakers.
“Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come,” Pelinka said. “His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team. We will be relentless in building a roster around the on-court vision Coach Redick has for this basketball team and there is an unwavering commitment to that work to serve our loyal and dedicated fans. We are grateful for today and look forward to what’s next.”
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