Job security is a nice thing to have under regular circumstances. However, fans of the Los Angeles Lakers will be concerned to know Rob Pelinka may just have a little too much of it moving forward.
Dave McMenamin appeared on Hoops Talk with Allen Sliwa. The NBA insider mentioned that Pelinka's spot with the Lakers is not in any immediate jeopardy, even amid a looming ownership change.
McMenamin said, "Part of the deal involves Jeanie Buss being the acting governor moving forward. ... So long as Jeanie is in place, we also know that that means that Rob Pelinka will be in place, because Jeanie's the one who has elevated him every step of the way."
The ESPN insider explained there is no reason to anticipate 'the way the Lakers operate changing dramatically whatsoever' in the short-term future. While no one here is actively rooting for Pelinka's displacement, pressure creates diamonds. This overwhelming comfort is not good for the Lakers.
Rob Pelinka needs a sense of urgency for the Lakers to thrive
McMenamin noted two separate reports about how long Buss is expected to remain as governor of the Lakers. The Athletic reported it would be five years. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne noted it would be at least three. The reporter opted to call it down the middle and say it was three to five.
The direct implication of that would be Pelinka staying unchallenged and unbothered in his current position for that same time span. This is where feelings of discomfort start to creep in.
Pelinka has been a mixed bag as a general manager for the Lakers. There has been plenty of great, good, disappointing, and undeniably atrocious during his time in the front office.
The concern would be leaving too much room for the uglier side of what Pelinka brings as a general manager, without him feeling under the gun to execute to his fullest capacity. Granted, the Lakers President of Basketball Operations has been riding a hot streak.
That all started, of course, with the acquisition of Luka Doncic. Locking him up to a three-year, $165 million extension only further cemented that win.
The offseason also started off on a rough note with the departure of Dorian Finney-Smith. However, Pelinka did recover and recoup DeAndre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia after that initial blow.
Rob Pelinka: "Having optionality is key to building teams. I think we have seen some teams get stuck in the aprons and once you're in them it's hard to get out of them. The optionality is there for us to use now if the right move comes its way. We wanna make smart moves" pic.twitter.com/M1KmNejql6
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) August 2, 2025
Los Angeles is now poised to remain flexible in pursuit of a long-term partner for Doncic, and they still have a fair bit of assets to do that. All of that should be credited to Pelinka.
There is just an inescapable feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Perhaps Pelinka has finally turned the corner properly, and should be owed more credit. Hopefully for the Lakers, their general manager will continue to prove himself as he presides over Doncic's prime years.
The Lakers do not have a lot of wiggle room for mistakes in building around Luka. Pelinka can be afforded a small mistake, or two. On the whole, though, the execution must be masterful. If it is not, fans will quickly dread the comfort zone that is being afforded to their team president.