Son of Lakers Legend Emerges as Possible Rob Pelinka Replacement

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is making the news again and this time someone mentioned the word “replacement”. Pelinka was super busy over the years. He became the Lakers general manager at the most awkward point. We also know his “situation” with former Lakers president of basketball operation Magic Johnson. Everything is fine now. So, will the Lakers consider firing Pelinka?

Kobe Bryant’s former agent did a really good job as a general manager. He brought Anthony Davis and a few awesome players to LA. However, NBA analysts still can’t get over some of the moves Pelinka made. Lakers fans really miss Alex Caruso and a lot of them want Russell Westbrook out of the team. Russ is not the right player to step in as No.3 option for LA. His struggles made people angry and Pelinka didn’t even want to trade him in the offseason.

Will this even happen?

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report delivered a surprising report, suggesting that LA probably has a good replacement for Pelinka.

“There has been growing speculation about one name to replace Pelinka as Lakers general manager: Omar Wilkes, the current head of basketball operations for Paul’s agency, Klutch Sports. Wilkes has been described as somewhat of a compromise between that ironclad Lakers family and Klutch’s operation. His father, Jamaal Wilkes, played eight seasons with the franchise and won three championships alongside Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jordan Wilkes, Omar’s younger brother, spent six years in the Lakers’ front office before joining the Hornets as a scout in 2019.”

Lakers may keep Rob Pelinka in the front office, it’s too soon to discuss eventual replacement

Here’s the catch. Wilkes is a good option for LA but he has a nice job and maybe he is not interested in joining the Lakers. In other words, he is not coming to LA.

“However, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation strongly denied Wilkes’ candidacy to replace Pelinka, citing his hands-on role within Klutch’s collegiate recruiting efforts. To be clear, the Lakers have not contacted him for any position. Wilkes has already landed an impressive client list starring Trae Young and Anthony Edwards, and has long been courting talented Duke forward Paolo Banchero, widely considered a top-three prospect in the 2022 NBA Draft. Wilkes and Paul were seen courtside at the Blue Devils’ Las Vegas game against fellow top prospect Chet Holmgren and Gonzaga earlier this season.”

Pelinka’s future with the Lakers may not be hanging in the air after all. Jeanie Buss has a reason to trust him. A couple of bad trades won’t put an end to his time in LA.