The Los Angeles Lakers may be quietly entering a moment of serious internal evaluation, and one former NBA executive believes the next major decision should involve the top of the front office. With the organization shifting toward full alignment under governor Mark Walter, the pressure on general manager Rob Pelinka has intensified. According to a former league executive who has worked with him directly, the Lakers will not maximize the Luka Doncic era unless a major leadership change is made.
“The Lakers won’t win a title in the Luka era if they keep Rob,” the former NBA executive told Lakers Daily. “Mark needs to hire someone with a smarter basketball mind than Rob to run the basketball operations.”
The criticism did not stop there. The executive pushed back on the idea that Joey and Jesse Buss were responsible for uncovering Austin Reaves, noting that Reaves strategically positioned himself to land with the Lakers, making his arrival far less of a scouting triumph than often portrayed. The comments reflect a growing sense that the Lakers’ internal narrative may not match the reality of how key decisions have been made.
“Everyone always gives them credit for finding Austin, but Austin chose to work out for the Lakers and chose not to get drafted by the Pistons so he could land with the Lakers. That was not some grand find by the Buss brothers. That was all Austin and his camp.”
As the Lakers restructure their inner workings, Rob Pelinka has been surprisingly safe from being replaced, but that may not last forever. The new Lakers owner is good friends with Magic Johnson, whom Pelinka pushed out of the franchise years ago. If Magic wants revenge, he could use his leverage to orchestrate Rob’s exit.
“Mark and Magic are super close. Do not think for a second that Magic has forgiven Rob for all the backstabbing he did.”
These next few weeks will be very telling for the Lakers as they begin to rebuild their franchise from the inside out. With Joey and Jesse Buss now gone, the organization clearly has no problem parting with key members, but firing Pelinka would be an entirely different kind of shakeup.
He helped build this Lakers team, and he set the culture they represent today. He is also the one who successfully traded for Luka Doncic, opening the team’s title window for the next decade.
Still, despite his track record, not everyone believes he knows what is best for the franchise. Some believe he has coasted on luck rather than basketball brilliance. So if Walter wants to truly maximize this window with Doncic, he will have to at least consider a change at the top, even if it brings uncertainty about the future.
Pelinka’s future now rests in Walter’s hands, and the decisions he makes in the coming months will define the direction of the entire franchise. The Lakers finally have the superstar needed to compete for years to come, but front office stability will determine whether they capitalize on this window or waste it. With the pressure building, every move from here on out will carry championship-level stakes.
