Rob Pelinka, in the eye of the hurricane: the disastrous management that threatens the future of the Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers are going through one of the most delicate moments of the last decade, and a large part of the fan base directly points to one person: Rob Pelinka. LeBron James' departure has sparked a deep debate about the franchise's sports management over the past few years and has triggered a wave of criticism towards an executive who, despite pulling off a major market move with the arrival of Luka Doncic, still fails to convince with the way he has built the rest of the team.

The prevailing feeling among many analysts is that the Lakers have wasted much of LeBron's last years. The best player of his generation spent seven seasons in Los Angeles and, apart from the 2020 championship, never had a team truly ready to compete sustainably for the ring. Now, with James out of the franchise, the question resurfaces strongly: how is it possible that a player of his caliber spent so many years surrounded by such unbalanced teams?

Luka Doncic rescues a management full of doubts

Assessing Pelinka's work is impossible without mentioning the signing of Luka Doncic.

The addition of the Slovenian guard has prevented the Lakers' sports situation from being even more concerning. Securing one of the top three players in the world will always be an extraordinary move and arguably the biggest success of the sports management in recent years.

However, precisely because they now have a player like Doncic, subsequent decisions generate even more uncertainty.

The Lakers still fail to build a competitive environment around their new star. The team continues to have significant deficiencies in the interior game, has lost depth in perimeter play, and lacks enough defensive specialists to compete with the major powers of the Western Conference. In other words, the problem that accompanied LeBron for much of his time in Los Angeles threatens to repeat itself now alongside Luka.

A highly debated contract policy

Many recent criticisms focus on the financial management carried out by the franchise.

Pelinka has chosen to renew Austin Reaves with a very high contract to prevent losing him, has made a significant investment in Walker Kessler treating him almost as a franchise center, and has also made a considerable effort to retain Quentin Grimes and strengthen the rotation with Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Individually, none of these operations are necessarily negative.

The problem arises when they are analyzed together.

The Lakers have committed a huge amount of money to key players, but these players can hardly be considered established stars. Based on current projections, the franchise will have around $475 million committed between Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler in the coming years, a sum that significantly reduces flexibility to continue strengthening the team.

Adding to this is the acquisition of Collin Sexton, a player whose performance has been inconsistent in recent seasons and who also doesn't seem to guarantee the competitive leap that the team needs.

Departures also raise many questions

If the signings raise doubts, the departures have not helped calm the atmosphere either.

LeBron James has left the franchise after several years in which he never felt fully supported by a team up to his aspirations. His departure symbolizes the end of a period in which the Lakers only won one championship despite having one of the greatest players of all time.

In addition to his departure, Marcus Smart's exit, probably the team's best perimeter defender and one of the locker room leaders, adds to the mix. Luke Kennard has also left the organization, depriving the Lakers of one of their best shooters, while Rui Hachimura could become the next key player to leave Los Angeles if contract renewal talks are not successful.

The result is a team that, far from strengthening around Doncic, seems to have lost depth and experience.

The future is also a concern

There is another aspect that explains much of the unrest among fans.

The Lakers have very little room to correct their mistakes through the Draft.

A significant portion of their early rounds in the upcoming years has been committed to previous operations, severely limiting their ability to bring in young talent or build attractive packages for future trades. This lack of assets makes every market decision even more delicate since it is much harder to rectify if a signing does not deliver the expected performance.

In an NBA where the early rounds have become a fundamental bargaining chip, this situation places the Lakers at a clear disadvantage compared to many of their direct rivals.

Has Pelinka wasted LeBron's last years?

This is probably the most uncomfortable reflection for the organization.

When LeBron landed in Los Angeles, the goal was to build a dynasty capable of dominating the NBA for several years. The 2020 championship seemed to be the starting point of that project, but it never materialized.

Injuries played a part, of course.

There were also circumstances beyond control.

However, it's hard to ignore that the franchise spent too many seasons without adequately surrounding its superstar. Each year exposed the same deficiencies: lack of outside shooting, center position problems, shallow bench depth, and constant directional changes hindering project continuity.

Now there is a fear that Luka Doncic might end up facing a very similar situation.

A decisive summer for the Lakers' future

It is evident that there is still time ahead in the market, and Pelinka has the opportunity to correct some of the current issues.

The franchise remains linked to several key figures, and the arrival of new reinforcements before the season starts cannot be ruled out. However, the pressure has never been higher.

The Lakers have one of the best players on the planet, but also a clearly incomplete roster, very limited room to maneuver, and an increasingly impatient fan base. After losing LeBron James and seeing Marcus Smart also depart, any additional mistake could have significant consequences.

Hence, the criticisms towards Rob Pelinka do not merely stem from a bad summer.

They are the result of several years of contentious decisions that have led to a question that is heard more and more frequently among Lakers fans: if even with LeBron James a truly dominant project was not achieved, what guarantees that it will be different this time around Luka Doncic?

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rob Pelinka, en el ojo del huracán: la desastrosa gestión que amenaza el futuro de los Lakers