Lakers look to model team after back-to-back champion Dodgers

Los Angeles–17-time NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers Working with back-to-back World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers On his basketball matters.

Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka detailed the working relationship before the Lakers’ game Golden State Warriors On Saturday. Pelinka was speaking to reporters for the first time since Dodgers owner Mark Walter’s purchase of the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation became official in late October.

“[It’s] “It’s been great to have outside partners and advocates looking at the Dodgers and the success they’ve had and what they’ve built there, and to be able to use a guy like Andrew Friedman for best practices,” Pelinka said.

Friedman, 49, is the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations and joined the ball club in 2014, shortly after Walter purchased the team from Frank McCourt in 2012.

“He’s so incredibly smart and he’s done an amazing job bringing championships to the Dodgers,” Pelinka said. “So just having another head of another team that you can make things with, whether it’s roster moves, whether it’s staff moves, just someone you can talk to, has been an incredible resource.”

Beyond his relationship with Friedman, Pelinka said he, Walter and Lakers acting governor Jenny Buss have discussed ways Walter can further support the team this summer. According to the Lakers, Buss will remain acting governor for at least four more seasons after 2025–26.

“When Mark purchased the team, Jenny and I had a thorough discussion with him about the areas he wanted to grow and be aggressive in,” Pelinka said. “Looking at the Dodgers and how they built it, that’s a great example and the North Star. And so we’re still going through that process of how we’ll look in the offseason and what we’ll add. But there will be some positive changes, and we’ll build on things.”

In addition to saying that one of those expected changes will be expected to mimic the Dodgers’ draft process and farm system structure, Pelinka made it clear what the Lakers’ power structure will be when implementing those changes.

“Under the leadership of me and Jenny,” he said, “and with the support of Mark.”

The Lakers’ front office has less personnel than many other NBA teams. Since Magic Johnson’s surprise resignation as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations in 2019, Pelinka has been the key decision-maker for the franchise, with Kurt Rambis serving as senior basketball advisor. The front office crowd was reduced in November, when the Lakers fired Lakers alternate governor and vice president of research and development Joey Buss and assistant GM Jesse Buss, along with several members of the scouting department.

Pelinka said the Lakers will follow the Dodgers’ lead, and he plans to hire executives around him.

“[The Dodgers]Pelinka said, just like how they’ve built their front office, that’s how deep it goes – they will spare no expense to be the best front office in the world.

Pelinka also addressed the Lakers’ outlook for Thursday’s trade deadline and the team’s plans for the roster this summer, when L.A. will have three future first-round picks available to trade as well as projected cap space approaching $50 million.

• On trading gabe vincent and second round of elections atlanta hawks For Luke Kennard: “When you get a chance to add the game’s best shooter to your group at the deadline, it’s a great opportunity. So, we seized it.”

• On other opportunities that could have become available to L.A. before the deadline passed: “I would say we were aggressive. And a form of being aggressive is saying no to moves that come your way that may not be best for the short-term and long-term future. It’s being aggressive, even if you don’t do anything, because sometimes it’s hard to say no to getting a good player that might be a quick short-term solution, but it can have ramifications for the long term where it affects your overall outlook. Doesn’t fit in. Team.”

• On the Lakers’ situation for the summer: “I think it’s clear to all teams in the league that this dual-apron system is harsh and strict, and some teams have looked at the other apron and realized it can be a real challenge. … Knowing that when a new system is implemented is an unexpected outcome, teams learn their way through it. We felt that creating the optionality or having the optionality now was a really positive thing for us in the offseason coming up.” Because there are some teams that are probably entrenched very deep in the apron and I think players, we see around the league, become available when teams get in that position.

“So, whether it’s through free agency, whether it’s keeping our own players, whether it’s looking around the league for players that are really good, maybe teams trying to find salary relief, we think there will be a lot of different ways to fill out our roster in the offseason.”

• On the Lakers’ interest in the buyout market: “We’re evaluating [our open] “The 15th roster spot and at some point, it will probably be filled.”