The Los Angeles Lakers shattered the record for the largest ever sale of a professional sports franchise on Wednesday. The Buss family agreed to sell majority ownership of the franchise to Mark Walter for $10 billion.
While Rob Pelinka was recently given a contract extension and promoted to president of basketball operations, he was labeled as a loser in the deal. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports revealed that — despite pulling off a blockbuster deal for Luka Dončić — Pelinka’s seat could get hot if the Lakers struggle in 2025-26.
“There is a pretty well-known executive with Los Angeles ties that is currently doing broadcasting work for ESPN,” CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn wrote. “Bob Myers built the Golden State Warriors. He went to UCLA. It’s hard not to think about him being for the Lakers what (Andrew) Friedman has been for the (Los Angeles) Dodgers.”
“Where does that leave Pelinka? For now, the job is his. The Dončić trade probably bought him a reasonable amount of job security. But his relationship with (Jeanie) Buss, and by extension through his partnership with (Kobe) Bryant, the entire Laker organization, went a long, long way for him during a very shaky stretch of Lakers basketball.”
“Remember, he has fired three separate coaches and been given the freedom to hire their replacements without any real scrutiny being put on his own performance. Even if LeBron James pushed for it, he ultimately traded for Russell Westbrook and let (Alex) Caruso go. His performance has hardly been beyond reproach.”
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
“A change likely isn’t coming in the near term. Pelinka’s performance in the 2025 offseason is now paramount. If he can put a championship-level team around Dončić and James, his job is likely safe. But if this season goes poorly, without the security of the Buss family’s ownership, his seat could start getting very warm very quickly.”
While Jeanie Buss will continue to run the franchise, Quinn noted that Walter will likely have the ability to install his own people in the front office. Pelinka, who was already under pressure to build a title contender around Dončić and the aging James, will be in a much less comfortable position if things do not go well.
Los Angeles enters the offseason with a dire need for a big man, while they are also likely looking for a point-of-attack defender. Pelinka, who has served as the Lakers general manager since February 2017, will have his hands full if the wants to remain in the role long-term.
More NBA: Jeanie Buss will continue to run the Lakers for several years despite historic sale
