"He was an a***ole as an agent" - Assistant NBA GM blasts Rob Pelinka for being hard to work with as an executive for the LA Lakers
The LA Lakers are in the midst of a difficult season. There have been rumors of a possible fallout between general manager Rob Pelinka and LeBron James' representatives, Klutch Sports. A recent report came out regarding Pelinka, who was blasted by several rival executives.
In a piece published by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, a handful of anonymous execs from NBA teams revealed that Pelinka's job may be in jeopardy in the upcoming offseason. There's also a story about how Rob's previous job as an agent rubbed some executives the wrong way and how it may have affected his reputation as a GM and vice president of basketball operations for the LA Lakers.
"He wasn't returning some teams calls at this year's deadline," one general manager said.
The Lakers’ losses keep mounting. My intel roundup on the cloudy Los Angeles futures for Frank Vogel, Russell Westbrook, Rob Pelinka, and LeBron James, @BR_NBA: bleacherreport.com/articles/10028…
"He was an a**hole as an agent. He had the most powerful players and if he wanted the player moved, he would've eviscerated you as a staff to get whatever he wanted. You can't do that to people, and then expect them to work with you when you join their side," an assistant GM added.
Before taking over as the general manager of the LA Lakers in 2017, Rob Pelinka was the longtime agent of Kobe Bryant. Pelinka also represented players such as Kevin Durant, James Harden, Andre Iguodala, Carlos Boozer, Gerald Wallace and Derek Fisher, among others.
Pelinka's tenure with the Lakers has been a mixed bag of success and failure. He helped sign LeBron James and acquire Anthony Davis, two key pieces in the organization's 2020 championship win. However, Pelinka has also put together the current roster, as well as reports of being untruthful in his early tenure as general manager, per ESPN.
Here’s a video of Rob Pelinka telling a story of when Kobe had dinner with Heath Ledger... 6 months after Ledger died #LakeShow
https://t.co/Sp5iLkHT2H
Will the LA Lakers replace Rob Pelinka this offseason?
With the LA Lakers possibly missing the playoffs or an early first-round exit, changes could be made in the offseason. In addition to rumors surrounding the future of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, Rob Pelinka's job may not be secured.
One of the rumored names to replace Pelinka is current Klutch Sports head of basketball operations Omar Wilkes, who is the son of Lakers legend Jamaal Wilkes. However, Jake Fischer's sources within the league revealed that Wilkes has not been offered the position.
Omar Wilkes of Klutch Sports has been mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Pelinka. twitter.com/realgm/status/… https://t.co/VtMTNLC4lF
Another possible candidate for the LA Lakers' general manager position if they decide to fire Rob Pelinka is longtime OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti. According to Ric Bucher of Fox Sports, one Eastern Conference executive believes the Lakers want to hire Presti.
Presti has been the general manager of Oklahoma City since 2007. He's responsible for drafting players such as Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson and Josh Giddey. LeBron James has already given his stamp of approval to Presti during the 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Lakers’ LeBron James on Thunder GM Sam Presti: “The MVP over there is Sam Presti… I don’t understand this guy’s eye for talent. He drafted KD, Russ, Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Josh Giddey. … This guy is pretty damn good.” https://t.co/mNb35Ggi6P