The Los Angeles Lakers may be the most prestigious team in basketball, but their front office structure is only just now catching up to their illustrious reputation.
In fact, according to league insider Yaron Weitzman, the Lakers’ “thin” front office even surprised head coach JJ Redick. When the former league sharpshooter was hired in 2024, he had no idea just how frugally the Lakers were being run.
“For years, the Lakers have operated with one of the NBA’s thinnest front offices,” wrote Yahoo Sports. “A small player performance and medical group. A tiny analytics team. No assistant GMs. Even JJ Redick, after being hired as head coach in June 2024, told a friend he was surprised by how lean the team was behind the scenes.”
Redick was the last coach hired by the Lakers’ previous owner, Jeanie Buss. While he had no direct head coaching experience, he played for 15 years in the NBA, retiring in 2021 with averages of 12.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game on 35.7% shooting and 39.5% shooting from three. Fresh off a run to the Western Semifinals, Redick has already solidified his future on the Lakers, but that doesn’t mean it’s been all smooth-sailing.
Over stints with the Magic, Clippers, 76ers, Pelicans, Bucks, and Mavericks, Redick saw the inner workings of many teams and came to understand the standard set across the league. So, when he joined the Lakers, he expected a deep, comprehensive staff to cover the many aspects of the game. Instead, he found Rob Pelinka holding the majority of the power.
As the Lakers’ acting GM and President of Basketball Operations, Rob basically controlled everything for the franchise, and his authority was exceeded only by Jeanie Buss herself. But now, under billionaire owner Mark Walter, the Lakers are running things differently. While Pelinka is still calling the shots when it comes to roster-building, he’s got some more help in the form of assistant GMs: one dedicated to scouting and draft evaluation, and the other focused on strategy, analytics, and salary cap management. They also brought in longtime Dodgers executive Lon Rosen to replace Tim Harris as the new President of Business Operations.
For a team with as much power and resources as the Lakers, you’d think they would have all the best when it comes to staffing, infrastructure, and internal development tools. In the NBA, organizations that invest the most in their scouting and analytics departments are typically the ones that succeed more often. That’s why Mark Walter has spared no expense in expanding the front office and ensuring his team at least keeps up with the competition.
When it comes to further offseason plans, the Lakers are still figuring out their next steps. Whatever happens with LeBron James, Pelinka is determined to build a contender around Luka Doncic, and he could use the Mavericks’ formula in 2024 as a blueprint. The good news is that, with a revamped front office, the Lakers will be better equipped than ever to make the right decisions and move in a direction that pulls them closer to their goals.
