Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has A LOT on his plate this summer as he stares ahead at an impossible cap situation, LeBron James' free agency negotiations, and much more.
It makes some sense that the Lakers are currently looking to hire additional front office staff -- additional support to help carry Pelinka's workload.
Within the last month, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported that the Lakers were looking to hire at least one assistant general manager, as well as another high-ranking staff position. Now, Scotto's returned with some names.
Front office candidates for the Lakers have begun to emerge by name
"The Los Angeles Lakers have expressed interest in several candidates for their front office openings, including Timberwolves assistant general manager Steve Senior, 76ers assistant general manager Prosper Karangwa, Heat vice president of player personnel Eric Amsler, Jazz vice president of player personnel Bart Taylor, and others, league sources told HoopsHype," Scotto revealed on Saturday. Here's a short tidbit about each candidate mentioned by Scotto:
Steve Senior
According to Yahoo Sports' Yaron Weitzman, the Lakers offered Senior the role of executive vice president of basketball operations last offseason, but he turned them down to remain with the Wolves.
Prosper Karangwa
Beyond the Lakers being a suitor for his services, Karangwa is also reportedly a person of interest to the Dallas Mavericks' new regime under Masai Ujiri, so the Lakers have some competition here.
Eric Amsler
Amsler has been with the Heat for 20 seasons in multiple roles, meaning a departure would be a big deal.
Bart Taylor
Taylor's story is interesting and inspiring -- he's risen all the way from an internship with the Jazz in 2012 up through their G League scouting department and was named Utah's Vice President of Player Personnel in 2021 after winning NBA G League Basketball Executive of the Year in 2019.
Rob Pelinka, Lakers can always rely on Luka Doncic to play assistant GM
While the Lakers' hiring process continues, we know that Pelinka and Lakers megastar Luka Doncic have established a strong line of communication about roster decisions. If Pelinka is feeling the heat to deliver this summer, maybe he'll call up Luka for a second opinion on certain players he's pursuing.
One thing Luka can't do is help Pelinka cure a cap situation that isn't ideal for the Lakers this summer. That's up to Pelinka and only Pelinka to deal with, and it won't be easy.
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