In a stunning move, the Los Angeles Lakers announced a drastic shakeup to their front office on Tuesday. Gone are longtime head honchos Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss, and in their place is former Lakers great Magic Johnson. Johnson was promoted from an advisory role to become the team’s president of basketball operations, leaving the Lakers’ general manager role vacant.
Yet with the NBA trade deadline just days away, you would think that the Lakers would have a plan in place to fill that role. According to multiple reports, they could hire Kobe Bryant’s agent, Rob Pelinka.
Pelinka represents several high-profile players like James Harden, so his relationships with stars and understanding of contracts and the salary cap makes him an interesting candidate. Also, adding Pelinka could lead to Bryant joining the Lakers in some capacity, which is what Johnson ultimately wants.
Pelinka going from an agent to a front office role won’t be unprecedented. In 2015, super agent Arn Tellem left his agency to become an executive with the Detroit Pistons, so perhaps Pelinka will be doing the same with the Lakers.