• Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss is impressed with GM Rob Pelinka for saving the roster
• Buss was impressed with Pelinka using the trade deadline to put in place the roster for 2023-24
• The Lakers have only four players returning from the squad that started the 2022-23 season
The Los Angeles Lakers went from calamity to one of the best teams in the Western Conference after just making two trades in February 2023.
With the offseason slowing down and the Lakers having their core in place, team governor Jeanie Buss praised her GM, Rob Pelinka, for all the moves he made to revamp the roster while speaking to Mark Medina.
“It was a wonderful run at the end of the season after the trade deadline. You can dial it back to the Hachimura trade with bringing in a player that fit in nicely with the team that we had. Then Rob furthered at the trade deadline by making moves that really fit the way that Coach [Darvin] Ham wanted to play.”
Core players like Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt were acquired in the winter as ‘pre-agency’, something that’s paid dividends for the franchise.
“I really like how Rob talked about pre-agency and that we got a chance to look at someone like Rui and how he fit in on our team so that we had the first option of bringing him back. Instead of waiting for free agency to make moves, he did it by making trades during the season. I thought the way he handled it was really strategic.”
Buss also revealed that Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham are on the same page with roster building, so it’s great to know that the coach sees value in the personnel he has to lead them to another deep playoff run.
Have The Lakers Done Enough?
The Lakers have tried their best at overhauling the roster to be competitive next season. Even with limited assets, they have a very competent roster right now that could be considered one of the preseason favorites. While it’s hard to say they’re better than the Nuggets or Celtics, they’re definitely in the same realm of competitiveness as the Phoenix Suns.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis will hope to enjoy healthy seasons while seeing their young teammates continue developing into star role players. Austin Reaves has already established himself as the team’s third option starting next season, while summer signings like Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince will hope to make an impact.
The summer isn’t over, as the Lakers could still be looking at ways to acquire top free agents Christian Wood or Kelly Oubre Jr.
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