The 2024-25 NBA season was the redemption arc that Rob Pelinka needed. There were some serious points when fans would have been very justified in questioning the trajectory of the franchise under Pelinka's leadership. Everyone knows what led to that getting turned on its head.
Being the man who guided Nico Harrison's clueless hand helped lead to that announcement that the Los Angeles Lakers delivered on Friday. A press release from the team revealed that Pelinka had secured a contract extension and promotion with the organization. The former player agent added the title of President of Basketball Operations to his existing general manager role.
Controversial decision is an understandable one
There were enough voices of displeasure to be heard from Lakers fans regarding the decision to extend Pelinka. A lot of the complaints centered around frustrations of one trade erasing years of front office disappointment.
But here is the thing: does the Luka Docic trade not fulfill its role in offering Pelinka the benefit of the doubt moving forward?
Perhaps some will argue that the Lakers general manager was more lucky than he was good. Pelinka was in the right place, at the right time, and not a masterful puppeteer who pulled the strings to orchestrate the deal. That would be the thought process for why the front office executive did not deserve to be rewarded for the maneuver.
However, that line of thinking minimizes the incredible amount of effort that had to have went into keeping a straight face throughout the whole ordeal of the Dallas Mavericks willingly giving away one of the five best players on the planet. Keeping things quiet, ensuring minimal competition, serves as a massive bonus too.
Pelinka has certainly had his shortcomings. Overextending himself and making a disastrous move like the Russell Westbrook trade set the franchise back a fair bit. Sometimes it would be the inability to make a move, like last year's offseason, that led many to be frustrated with the general manager.
However, Pelinka has proven capable of digging the franchise out of any hole created, time and time again. Sometimes, it will take a little longer than what is desired. The destination remains the same.
The Lakers went from fringe contenders, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the way, to true title contenders with their current group. The franchise is, likewise, set up moving forward. Even if the argument was that Pelinka stripped the Lakers' future initially, he also reestablished it with a much more promising outlook. That was always going to get rewarded.