The Los Angeles Lakers must move on from Rob Pelinka after he traded Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round draft pick for Luke Kennard ahead of the deadline. He failed to address his team's two biggest needs. They sit 25th in defensive rating. The purple and gold desperately needed a perimeter defensive stopper and a rim protector. Instead, they got a shooter known for his subpar defense and struggles to impact winning in the playoffs.
Luka Doncic has thrived playing with floor spacers. Kennard is an elite shooter, but his volume was down in Atlanta. Fans are glad to see Gabe Vincent go after a disastrous tenure in LA. The Lakers hope Kennard shoots more in a new uniform, but this continues a troubling trend for Pelinka.
The Lakers’ decision-maker again added a player with one standout skill that struggles elsewhere. He has a roster full of these players. There is no two-way impact on this roster, which forces head coach JJ Redick to make maddening decisions. It is time for Pelinka to go, even if Kennard plays well under former sharpshooter JJ Redick.
Lakers can’t build a sustainable title contender with Rob Pelinka in charge
Los Angeles has three stars leading this roster. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are elite offensive options, but they struggle on defense. LeBron James' defense has slipped, even as he is still producing All-Star numbers. Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, and Dalton Knecht are offense-only players. Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt are plus defenders, but will struggle to stay on the floor offensively in the most important games. This roster is mismatched and poorly constructed.
Luke Kennard is a shooter who offers virtually nothing else. He will knock down open looks for a team that is in the bottom ten in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. Sadly, the 6’5 wing will make the defense worse and is only capable of playing a limited role.
The Lakers need shooting and defense around Luka and AR moving forward. They can’t have shooters and defenders. Pelinka is clearly not watching the Thunder or Spurs. The two teams leading the Western Conference are stuffed with two-way players that make life difficult on the opponent at every turn.
The Lakers kept cap space open for the summer, but they can’t have Rob Pelinka making those decisions. He will overpay for a Gabe Vincent or sign a marquee name off the buyout market. They will all be players who excel in one area and offer nothing else. The Lakers aren’t winning a title with that.
Even Pelinka knows that. The 2020 title team featured players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, and Alex Caruso. It was the Lakers’ top decision-maker who pivoted away from them. Pelinka has watched his team struggle to have playoff success since, but clearly can't figure out why.
The Luke Kennard trade proves nothing has changed for Rob Pelinka in the Luka Doncic era. He clearly doesn’t know what pieces fit around his superstar and can’t be trusted to build this roster in the summer. The Lakers have been working toward this opportunity for months. They can’t miss, and Pelinka will all but certainly do just that.
The Los Angeles Lakers' latest move proves it is time to move on from Rob Pelinka. He can’t be trusted to build out a title-contending roster around Luka Doncic. It is on the new owner, Mark Walter, to make move on. The Lakers' future hinges on it.