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In a matter of a few months, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka took what looked like a broken roster and not only fixed it but made it into a championship-caliber one.
In a couple of midseason trades, he turned the talented but polarizing and ill-fitting Russell Westbrook, little-used guard Kendrick Nunn and modest draft capital into Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt. Suddenly, the Lakers had a roster that was cohesive, and it took them all the way to the Western Conference finals.
Earlier this summer, Pelinka re-signed Hachimura, Russell and emerging star Austin Reaves while adding free agents Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes. These moves have earned him rave reviews from people across the NBA.
In fact, Lakers legend Magic Johnson recently said Pelinka will win the Executive of the Year award, a sentiment former teammate Byron Scott echoed to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson while on an episode of “Scoop B Selects” (h/t The Cold Wire).
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka deserves NBA’s Executive of the Year Award for moves made in the off-season says Byron Scott on Scoop B Selects. “You gotta give Rob Pelinka a lot of credit; I think right now he’s the Executive of the Year for what he was able to bring to the table.”
“I’d… https://t.co/f4TtRY191v pic.twitter.com/Tzgc0d8ZwK
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) August 29, 2023
Scott, who won three NBA championships with the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s, also said he’d be surprised if his former team doesn’t reach the final series this season, barring injuries of course.
Los Angeles isn’t the favorite to win it all or reach the championship round, but it could get there just as easily as the Denver Nuggets or Phoenix Suns.