Lakers Warned of Multiple Firings: 2004 NBA Champion Thinks Rob Pelinka on Thin Ice

Bold moves and a lot of doubt seem to be the theme of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ rebuild. Their response to missing the finals berth was firing Darvin Ham and sparking a coaching hunt that ended with the first choice, JJ Redick. They picked Bronny James in the 2024 draft, minting the first NBA father-son duo of the franchise. Recently, they acquired Lindsey Harding as the franchise’s first female assistant coach. But the flaws became explicit from the signings they missed. The NBA community has noticed a pattern of big-ticket players passing on the Lakers for at least two years in a row. Rasheed Wallace believes it will be Rob Pelinka who will face the brunt of that.

He said on his podcast that it won’t be long before Jeanie Buss overhauls the leadership. When that happens, the general manager will be the first to go. Referring to major changes in the coaching staff, Sheed said on Sheed & Tyler, “If this don’t work, they probably going to give this like about a year or two. If this don’t, don’t work, they might clean house, including the GM.”

Now, it’s not uncommon for Wallace to be a little critical of the Lakers. However, he’s played against one of the toughest versions of this team led by Kobe Bryant multiple times before he beat them to win the 2004 championship. The Lakers were even keen on signing him in 2012. But he would rather “beat ’em than join ’em,” so he ended up with the Knicks for one last season before officially retiring. He was pursued to join Darvin Ham’s coaching staff in 2022 but that deal never worked out.

He, however, has enough credibility to say that the Lakers right now are far from the majestic team he faced in his prime. He says the “Lakers are gone,” as most players now decline to sign with them. They lost LA native and Lakers diehard fan, DeMar DeRozan to the Kings this season. Klay Thompson declined a reported huge offer to sign with the Mavs. Gary Trent Jr. also passed on them. And the Lakers’ woes to attract top talent are not limited to this year.

Lakers GM needs to work fast, and smart, says Sheed

Rob Pelinka is not in an enviable position. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t- is what he dealt with when picking Bronny and not getting Trent. Another one of his head-scratching moves came immediately after the 2020 championship which Sheed & Tyler illustrated.

They acquired Dennis Schröder in exchange for Danny Green and the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels. All to get Russell Westbrook. Russ was supposed to increase Bron and AD’s championship windows until they let him walk to Utah Jazz. The curse escalated from there and they haven’t been able to make a top signing since Westbrook.

As per Wallace, Pelinka is trying to offer these one-year deals to find a combination that works for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Players aren’t biting though. Owners and James can’t wait five years to rebuild. So Sheed hopes, for Pelinka’s sake, he works fast. Or he’d not be part of the rebuild.