There’s no easy way to put it, the Los Angeles Lakers are far below in the Western Conference table than what fans expected them to be at this point in the season. To be precise, the Purple and Gold currently have a 25-30 record, which is good enough for being just the 13th seed in the Western Conference.
Keeping that in mind, many wanted Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to make some trades early in the season. But instead of doing so, Pelinka decided to wait for almost the last possible day to make trades and get some much-needed help around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Well, better late than never, as Rob Pelinka managed to pull off two crucial trades in a matter of days. The Purple and Gold first traded for Rui Hachimura, and the most recent trade the team made was for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Rob Pelinka Gets Huge Praise From Los Angeles Lakers Fans
The new potential starting lineup for the Lakers is looking great. With less than 30 games left to be played in the 2022-23 NBA season, this is the final push the Lakers can make to at least book a spot in the NBA play-in tournament.
Coming back to Rob Pelina, the Laker Nation has been incredibly critical of him for not making any trades this season. However, Pelinka has managed to change that perspective of him with just two trades.
Rui Hachimura
D'Angelo Russell
Jarred Vanderbilt
Malik Beasley
Not a bad deadline for Rob Pelinka pic.twitter.com/yAawsO5q71
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 9, 2023
Although there are still better teams than the Lakers in the West, they now at least have a shot at making it to the playoffs. More importantly, he managed to protect one of the future first-round draft picks of the team. In addition, Rob finally got rid of Russell Westbrook’s poor contract. Combining everything, Lakers fans heaped huge praise on their GM.
Maybe not receiving Kyrie was a gift after all. Solid role players like this can go a long way with healthy squad. Keeping Lonnie and Reaves while getting this is clutch!
— Kaleb Earls (@K_Earls32) February 9, 2023
Bron getting his 5th chip 😭
— ✍🏼 (@youngv4mplifee) February 9, 2023
Rob said pic.twitter.com/WTmFTuL5jL
— Kyries Lawyer 👨🏽⚖️ (@kyrieslawyer) February 9, 2023
Rob pelinka im sorry pic.twitter.com/G01dhoZBO5
— shark🇸🇴 (@sharkyy__b) February 9, 2023
Dinner isn’t finished yet! Still have another first rounder pic.twitter.com/eq2Dbh7weC
— Artel Cato (@MrAJCato) February 9, 2023
— ۟ (@FUUCKZAY) February 9, 2023
https://twitter.com/aimbotjoe/status/1623491046083526656
— Bulls#1🔥 (@Bullsareback7) February 9, 2023
They’re not done. Only traded one first. Would imagine Gary Trent Jr. is priority number 1 now
— Jake (@JakeAndBall) February 9, 2023
GM OF THE YEAR I’M AFRAID pic.twitter.com/0glbES4iKw
— Eli (@theonlyEli__) February 9, 2023
Rob Pelinka has won the hearts of the fans, at least for now. With the Lakers still having one more crucial future first-round pick in the bag, Pelinka could go for another last-minute trade. If it becomes a reality, the Lakers can realistically try to make a comeback this season.
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