Rob Pelinka's Lakers future is reportedly less secure after the ownership chaos, although LA reporter Pete Zayas said that, "having talked to some folks," Pelinka and the front office are "excited about this" and view the Iger-Kushner takeover as "a good thing."
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Rob Pelinka's future with the Los Angeles Lakers has become a major question amid the franchise's latest ownership drama.
The Lakers are dealing with another power shift after Mark Walter's majority stake sale to a group led by Bob Iger and Josh Kushner.
At the same time, five of the six Buss siblings are reportedly trying to sell their remaining stake, while Jeanie Buss is attempting to remain involved as the team's governor.
That uncertainty has raised questions about the front office, including Pelinka, who received a contract extension and promotion in April 2025.
The Lakers announced at the time that Pelinka was extended and promoted to president of basketball operations while also keeping his general manager title, though the team did not disclose the terms of the new deal.
On the latest episode of the Lakers Collective podcast, Pete Zayas said Pelinka's standing is no longer as clear as it once was.
"What does all of this mean for Rob Pelinka?" Trevor Lane asked. "We already talked about it a year ago with the transition of power to Mark Walter, and how sometimes people coming in to spend the kind of money that's being spent to purchase an NBA team, they want to have their own people running things, and that could be a difficult thing for Rob Pelinka."
Zayas then shared what he has heard from people around the situation.
"Having talked to some folks, my understanding is that Pelinka and company are excited about this and they think that it's a good thing," Zayas said.
However, Zayas also made it clear that Pelinka's position may be less secure than before.
"But I do think he's less safe than he was," Zayas said.
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Pelinka must win over new owners quickly
Zayas noted that Pelinka has survived previous power shifts and has been able to build strong relationships with key figures inside the Lakers organization.
"I also don't think we should underestimate his ability to survive and really ingratiate himself to the people that he needs to ingratiate himself to," Zayas said. "Whether it was Kobe or Jeanie, the people who he worked for all swore by him in ways that didn't always resonate with the fans, for sure."
Still, the new ownership structure changes the equation.
Iger is expected to have a major voice in the organization, and Zayas said Pelinka may need to align himself with the new power structure quickly.
"If he can figure out a way to do that with Iger and company, but I do think that'll have to be quick because again, at Iger's age, I think he's going to want to hit the ground running as much as possible and that's going to be with his people," Zayas said.
"Pelinka's going to have to make himself one of Iger's people very quickly," he added.
Lakers may wait to judge Pelinka's roster
Lane argued that one factor working in Pelinka's favor is that he built the current Lakers roster.
The team has entered a new era around Luka Doncic after moving on from LeBron James, and Lane said it would make sense for the new owners to see how Pelinka's group performs before making a major front-office decision.
"One of the things that he does have going for him here is he spent the summer building this roster," Lane said. "This is the group that he has put together."
Lane added that the Lakers may not want to move on before seeing whether Pelinka's plan works on the court.
"Do you want to pull the plug on that before they even get onto the floor? Probably not," Lane said. "They want to see what his vision can actually turn into."
However, Lane also acknowledged the obvious risk for Pelinka.
"I think there is a world where Rob Pelinka sticks around, but again we also have that conflicting dynamic where typically new ownership wants to bring in their own people," Lane said. "So very much in question right now."
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Lakers ownership chaos creates urgency
The Pelinka question is part of a much larger Lakers problem.
The organization is trying to move into the Luka era while dealing with uncertainty over who will hold real power.
Zayas said the Lakers' internal instability has been an issue for years, pointing to factional battles inside the Buss family and past tension around Pelinka.
"It's bad, and it exposes that dynamic that's been there for a long time where it's like Jesse and Jeanie and Joey didn't, or Jeanie didn't get along with the younger Buss boys," Zayas said. "There was some rivalry between Pelinka and them and all of that."
Lane also warned that uncertainty at the top could slow down decisions from Iger and Kushner.
"This could put a stall on any kind of changes that Kushner and Iger want to impact because they don't know who's going to be the governor of the team," Lane said.
The Lakers also still have front-office work to complete, including an assistant general manager spot.
"We still don't have an assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Lakers right now, or at least one of them not in place right now," Lane said.