The Los Angeles Lakers are continuing their front office overhaul after hiring Rohan Ramdas as assistant general manager under president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.
According to ESPN insiders Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania, Ramdas will work directly under Pelinka as Los Angeles aggressively expands one of the NBA’s historically thinnest front office structures.
Ramdas arrives from the New Orleans Pelicans, where he quickly rose through the organization. He joined New Orleans in September 2024 as senior director of analytics and innovation before being promoted to vice president of strategy and operations in May 2025.
The Athletic’s Dan Woike also confirmed the move and highlighted Ramdas’ scientific and analytics-heavy background, noting he is “regarded as very smart by people in the league who know him.”
One Pelicans source gave perhaps the best description possible.
“He’s a literal rocket scientist.”
That is not an exaggeration. Before fully transitioning into basketball operations, Ramdas reportedly spent more than 12 years working with The Aerospace Corporation. He also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in astronautical engineering from USC.
Ramdas reportedly implemented AI systems and coded analytical models to assist the Pelicans front office with decision-making, roster construction, and strategy planning. That modern approach is exactly what the Lakers have lacked for years.
Despite being one of the richest and most glamorous franchises in sports, Los Angeles has quietly operated with one of the smallest front office staffs in the NBA for a long time. Reports earlier this offseason even stated that head coach JJ Redick was surprised after joining the organization in 2024 and seeing how thin the Lakers’ infrastructure really was behind the scenes.
The Lakers reportedly had limited analytics support, a small scouting department, and no assistant general managers for years. That now appears to be changing rapidly under new owner Mark Walter.
Walter reportedly wants the Lakers to operate more like a modern powerhouse organization similar to the structure he oversees with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
At his end-of-season press conference, Pelinka revealed the Lakers planned to hire two assistant general managers. One role would focus on scouting, player development, and draft evaluation. The other would center around strategy, analytics, and salary cap management.
Ramdas clearly fills the second role. According to ESPN, the Lakers conducted face-to-face meetings with several candidates during the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago before ultimately landing on Ramdas. And honestly, the timing could not be bigger.
The Lakers are entering one of the most important offseasons in franchise history. LeBron James still has not made a final decision on his future, while Luka Doncic is now viewed as the centerpiece of the organization moving forward.
The franchise is also heavily linked to blockbuster pursuits involving Giannis Antetokounmpo and several major roster changes after getting swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. That playoff loss exposed major weaknesses in depth, roster construction, athleticism, and organizational structure.
Now the Lakers are finally responding. For years, critics have accused Los Angeles of relying too heavily on star power and brand value instead of building elite infrastructure behind the scenes. Hiring Rohan Ramdas signals the Lakers are finally serious about changing that.
