Rob Pelinka was hired as the new general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers in March 2017. Pelinka was a prominent sports agent leading up to that time whose most noteworthy client was Kobe Bryant. His tight-knit relationship with the Mamba, combined with his experience working with front-office executives via contract negotiations for his clients, made him a logical option to take over this role for such a storied NBA franchise.
At the time, the once-dominant Laker franchise had not made the playoffs since 2012-2013 and had a combined record from that time through the end of the 2016-17 season of (look away Laker fans) of 91-237.
Ouch.
Thankfully, the newly hired exec brought a sense of hope to an otherwise desperate fanbase. Unfortunately for Pelinka, this was a position that came with incredibly high expectations, and throughout his tenure to this point, he has been greeted with more criticism than congratulations.
In his five full seasons running the show, the team has tallied a record of 222-218. While the franchise has maintained a slightly above-average winning percentage, won one championship, and made one additional playoff appearance (a first-round exit in 2020-2021), these are still not up to par when it comes to Laker standards.
Throughout that time, Pelinka and his front office colleagues have made some interesting decisions when attempting to re-establish showtime. More recently, the front office has come under scrutiny for failing to part with its future first-round draft picks in order to improve the current state of the team.
With the recent (unexpected) acquisition of Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards, it is time for us to compose a progress report for the trades that Pelinka has in fact pulled the trigger on so far in his time with the Lakers.
Grading every trade Rob Pelinka has made for the Los Angeles Lakers:
2018:
- 2/8/2018: Traded Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr to the Cavaliers for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Fry, and a 2018 first-round pick (Moritz Wagner) | GRADE: F
Pelinka’s first trade with the Lakers came in the midst of another disappointing season for the team. At the time, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Ivica Zubac appeared to be the lineup of the future, and the rest of the season was about getting them developmental minutes.
With this in mind, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr were adored by the fanbase, and they had more than established themselves as quality role players. Furthermore, these 2 were young enough to fit into the future plans and grow alongside the other baby Lakers at costs that would not break the bank.
Swapping Clarkson for Isaiah Thomas (who was struggling to regain his footing in the league after being traded to the Cavs) was certainly a downgrade. Similarly, swapping Nance Jr’s all-around contributions for a few months of Channing Fry’s stretchability looks like a major loss in the rearview mirror.
The Cavaliers went on to lose in the NBA finals that season, while the Lakers did not even sniff the playoffs. Moritz Wagner has turned into a serviceable big man in the modern NBA, but he wound up being traded a year after the team drafted him.
- 7/6/2018: Traded Cash and a 2019 second-round pick (Bruno Fernando) to the 76ers for a 2018 second-round pick (Isaac Bonga) | GRADE: D
The second trade in Pelinka’s time with the Lakers was much less popular and publicized. While swapping a future second-round pick for a potential diamond in the rough second round-pick does not seem like a terrible idea, including cash considerations to do so comes off as a bit puzzling.
Not to mention the fact that the Lakers ended up punting on Bonga’s potential just a year after drafting him in the same deal that sent Wagner out of town. Bonga has yet to pan out in the league and unfortunately does not look to have much of a future in the league at this stage of his career.