The Los Angeles Lakers‘ structural flaws were exposed long before the Oklahoma City Thunder brutally swept them. They last reached the Conference Finals in the 2022-23 season. With no postseason success for years, one thing was clear: it was time for a change. A big one. That retooling quest began with Dodgers owner Mark Walter taking over the NBA franchise in a historic $10 billion deal last year. And now, before making contract decisions surrounding LeBron James and Austin Reaves, Rob Pelinka has followed through on his promise to fans.

After their second-round exit, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations said the team would be hiring two assistant general managers this offseason. One hire would be focused on player scouting, and the other on someone proficient in analytics. Pelinka described these positions as the “two key pillars” for LA. And according to Shams Charania, the franchise has filled the second gap by hiring a former aerospace engineer with NBA experience!

Yes, you read that correctly. Charania reported on X, “The Los Angeles Lakers are hiring former New Orleans Pelicans vice president of strategy and operations Rohan Ramadas as an assistant general manager under president Rob Pelinka.” Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and Dodgers special advisor Farhan Zaidi participated in interviews for the assistant GM openings, sources told The Athletic.

Ramadas will reportedly oversee strategy, analytics, and salary cap management for the Lakers. He spent 12 years supporting the Aerospace Corporation, the U.S. Space Force, and NASA as a rocket guidance, navigation, and control mission design engineer. The Cupertino native holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California. “He’s a literal rocket scientist,” a Pelicans source told ESPN.

But why would the Lakers hire someone of Ramadas’ caliber for an NBA job? That’s because while working for the Pelicans, Ramadas implemented AI and coded models to aid the front office. Both Dodgers executives, who sat in for the interview, have strong analytical backgrounds and are likely to have seen value in hiring him. Also, less than a year into his stint in New Orleans, he was promoted to VP of Basketball Operations and Strategy, displaying quick growth.

According to the NY Post, Ramadas also worked as a draft analyst with the Miami Heat in 2016-17. Charania also mentioned that the Lakers have continued to interview candidates for other roles. Pelinka has helped make several hires since Walter took the reins, including Lon Rosen as the president of business operations (replacing Tim Harris), Michael Spetner as the new chief strategy and growth officer (new position), and Ryan Kantor as the VP of global partnerships (new role). Interestingly, a common pattern is emerging from this.

Rosen, Spetner, and Kantor all previously worked for the Dodgers, which Pelinka called a “brother-sister organization” for the Lakers. They also hired former Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett as an NBA draft adviser in February. “A lot of the infrastructure is being built,” Pelinka optimistically said about new faces flooding into the LA office of late. Alongside personnel news, fans can also expect to witness relocation and renovation within the franchise.

The South Bay Lakers are moving to Coachella Valley to occupy a brand-new 10,000-seat arena. They’ll have their own stadium and no longer play G League games at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. It is a two-way upgrade, not only providing the G League team with more resources but also opening the NBA team to much-needed upgrades.

“We’re bringing in a biomechanics lab, new movements labs, a recovery lab,” Pelinka explained after the past season. “Those things are super expensive to do and super thoughtful, but we’re doing the planning with Lon [Rosen], and his team around that. That construction is going to happen this offseason. They’re going to be redoing aspects of the court as well. It’s a full rebuild and retool, and it’s adding to the great things that are already here, which have led to success.”

It appears that Walter is re-applying his Dodgers playbook, this time in the NBA. His MLB team is by far considered one of the best-run organizations in the sport. A major reason is that they spend heavily to win by the narrowest of margins. But the Lakers cannot emulate that because of the salary cap. That said, what does the challenge look like for the Lakers’ front office?

What have Rohan Ramadas and the new Lakers executive hires walked into?

Heading into 2026-27, the Lakers’ payroll has ballooned to roughly $257.2 million, the sixth-highest in the NBA, while their cap room sits deep in the negative at -$92,217,780. That financial squeeze explains why Pelinka brought in Ramadas. The team owes Luka Doncic $51 million and Jarred Vanderbilt $12.4 million. Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, and Adou Thiero will together make a figure shy of $17 million. But because LeBron James is heading for unrestricted free agency, the franchise will have some room to maneuver.

The Akron Hammer’s decision will influence a major share of LA’s attacking plan. But handing Austin Reaves a better contract remains the priority. He is expected to decline his $14.9 million player option while being eligible to sign a five-year, $241 million deal in LA. DeAndre Ayton ($8.1 million) and Marcus Smart ($5.4 million) have player options coming up, but it is doubtful that head coach JJ Redick would entertain even one of them, let alone both.

In the unrestricted free agent bracket, the Lakers could target a real big man like Mitchell Robinson. He averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and shot 72.3 percent from the field in 60 games last season, doing most of his damage in the paint with rim runs and offensive boards, something that Ayton struggled to be consistent with. The drawback, however, is that he has had persistent ankle issues throughout his career.

Peyton Watson appears to be the most attractive two-way defensive player, and the Denver Nuggets may be forced to make a tough financial call. He averaged career-high numbers in points (14.6), rebounds (4.9), assists (2.1), and steals (0.9), while also averaging 1.1 blocks and shooting 49.1 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from deep. The downside is that he is a restricted free agent, and the Lakers’ offer will need to be convincing.

Another big man option is Nikola Vucevic. But he is rather a short-term replacement because of his age (35). On the reliability front, though, he rebounds, holds his ground in the paint, and does not need plays called for him to be effective.

But regardless of who’s available and who’s not, Rob Pelinka has promised the fanbase a rebuild with Doncic at the epicenter of it. The Slovenian has reportedly expressed willingness to play alongside Reaves, but LeBron’s decision will ultimately determine how big LA’s shopping cart will be.