Pelinka Outlines Walter’s Vision to Remake Lakers Front Office in Dodgers’ Image
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Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said new majority owner Mark Walter is guiding the basketball franchise through a multi-year plan to replicate the front-office structure that has powered the Los Angeles Dodgers to back-to-back World Series titles.
Speaking with reporters, Pelinka described “a deep dive” he and governor Jeanie Buss conducted with Walter shortly after the sale closed. The trio reviewed areas where the Lakers could “grow and move into and get aggressive,” using the Dodgers’ expansive scouting, analytics and player-development operation as a template.
“Just the way they’ve built out their front office, how deep it is—there is no expense they’ll spare in being the best,” Pelinka said. “Looking at the Dodgers and how they built it out has been a great sort of example and North Star.”
Pelinka credited Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman for serving as a direct resource on best practices. “He’s so incredibly smart and has done such an amazing job bringing championships to the Dodgers,” Pelinka noted. “Whether it’s a roster move or a staff move, just someone you can talk to has been an incredible resource.”
While Pelinka and Buss remain the Lakers’ primary decision-makers, Walter’s influence signals possible expansion of the basketball side’s infrastructure, an area fans have long hoped would receive heavier investment.
The Lakers’ emphasis on front-office depth comes after a quiet trade deadline in which the club sent Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Luke Kennard. Pelinka characterized the approach as “aggressive” because the team “rejected bad offers” to preserve flexibility heading into a pivotal offseason.
No specific staffing or budget decisions have been announced, but Pelinka said changes are expected once the season ends. “We’re still going through that process of how we’ll look in the offseason and what additions we’ll make,” he said. “But there will be some positive changes, and we will build things out.”
Source: Lakers Nation
