Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka spoke to the media on Tuesday evening following the trade for Rui Hachimura. He said they started talking to the Wizards “about a week ago” when the young forward was made available.
“It felt like it was an opportunity for us to strike early and address a need, in a market that has proven to be a little bit slow. It doesn’t mean our work is finished,” Pelinka said, per Mark Medina of NBA.com (Twitter video link).
When asked by Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link) about potentially dealing away their 2027 and 2029 first round-picks, Pelinka said that option is always on the table, but only if it makes the Lakers a championship “frontrunner.”
“The calculus for the Lakers is to win a championship or not,” Pelinka said. “There’s no in between or incremental growth. As we analyze opportunities, we have to do it through that lens.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Head coach Darvin Ham said he’s “super-duper excited” about Hachimura’s addition, Buha tweets. “I’ve always been impressed by him,” Ham said. “Just a multi-faceted, strong, athletic, skilled young player. … I think he’s gonna bring a lot.”
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores what’s next for L.A. following the deal. While he liked the move in some ways, he points out that dealing away second-rounders in 2028 and 2029 could come back to bite the Lakers if they want to try to add protections to their two first-rounders in future trades.
- Although Nekias Duncan of BasketballNews.com views Hachimura as a “mixed bag” defensively, he notes that the 24-year-old is a strong finisher in transition, so that should play to the team’s strengths — the Lakers rank seventh in the league in pace. Overall, Duncan thinks it was a worthwhile gamble, as Hachimura should have a better pathway to easy looks playing with the Lakers rather than the Wizards.
- Austin Reaves is currently sidelined with a left hamstring strain and is set to be reevaluated later this week, but he’s confident he’ll be back “soon,” as Buha writes for The Athletic. “We’re going forward, moving forward,” Reaves said of his injury. “Progress. Feeling good.” The second-year guard was able to sprint on Monday first the first time since the injury, Buha adds.
When you are the 13th seed in the west, you talk about Championships.
Rob Pelinka
1. The calculus for the Lakers is to win a championship or not,” Pelinka said. “There’s no in between.
2. ……… it makes the Lakers a championship “frontrunner.”
Yes, There’s no in between.
Yes, There’s no BIG IF.
Just a Stab in the dark, but I think this guy knows basketball a LITTLE better than Sullivan “Pat Riley believes LeBron James, Lakers can win 2023 championship: ‘I think they got a shot’”
Pelinka continues to show that the average pundit would do better in his shoes…
3 AND D guys is what they need… No 1 way players around LeBron…
Lakers get Reddish, Fournier, Collins, and Capela.
Hawks get Siakam, Bryant.
Knicks get Pat Bev, Thad Young
Raptors get Westbrick, 27 unprotected 1st from LAL, 2 1sts from the Knicks, 1 1st from the Hawks
Terrible trade for the Knicks. Why are they giving up 2 first round picks and getting trash back.
Risky trade, but you’re getting max value going for Collins and Capela helps interior. Add Bryant w Hachimura they have good athletic size and can play different matchups. Maybe 1 more trade away for rounding out the roster, say Thybulle or flip Capela for Rozier. I’d agree with limiting using the Knicks and only help them with salary dump and use assets to entice other teams
The Knicks deservedly get shat on for their incompetency but does anyone believe that they are incompetent enough to do this? Two 1sts to trade away bad contracts but take on Bev and Young? The Knicks are central to the core deal here though so why is Raptors/Hawks getting far more? Maybe swap Lakers 2029 1st for one of the Knicks and this helps more. The Lakers seem to be getting ton too. Man… Knicks could never sell this trade as making any sense.
Heres a better trade:
Lakers: Rozier, Reddish, Bamba, Oubre, Rose
Hornets: Russ, Ross, Toppin, Quickley, Christie, Damian Jones, with picks
Knicks: Hayward. Washington, Gary Harris, Schroeder, Hampton
Magic: Pat Bev, Fournier, Plumlee, McBride, with picks
At least 3 of the GMs in that 5 team scenario you have should say no, possibly 4 depending on the picks involved. You have way too many moving parts there for that to ever even be a discussion though.
Every team here is saying no dog.
Are you wearing lakers pajamas? That trade would at minimum involve the lakers giving up 2 firsts and the Knicks at most would be a heavily protected first round pick.
Knicks have several lower valued 1sts in their arsenal. This is a pure salary dump for them. However Pat Bev and Thad Young do fit more of a Thibs style.
Thad is 1M guaranteed for next year. So they escape Fourniers multi yr contract with minimal give. The Raptors want a bevy of picks for Siakam. Hawks want to dump Collins. If anything the Raptors would want more.
Maybe Bron can help Rui.
Trade Westbrook and D Jones a first and second rd pick to Detroit for Bogdanovic, Noel and Burks. Detroit keeps Westbrook to tank. Tank this year for last year of the rebuild. Tell russ to go be russ to sell a little more tickets this year
This better be a move for the sake of future moves…
Because Rui ain’t gonna fix the Lakers defence… And he plays best at the 4, where LeBron and AD will take up most of the minutes…
Pelinka is a dud…
Never seen a team hype up a guy that should be your 7th or 8th best player…. The team that lands Jae Crowder should declare themselves NBA champs with this standard lol