Rob Pelinka had to endure a lot criticism for a while after making a number of moves that didn’t work out for the Los Angeles Lakers. But eventually, he was able to change the narrative and now he’s getting praise for his recent decisions.
The executive fixed the roster on time last season, making enough changes at the February trade deadline to save the year. This offseason, Pelinka has made even more moves to get even better results.
Now it looks like LeBron James finally has a true supporting cast to challenge for another NBA championship, and many are giving the GM his flowers. Magic Johnson, for instance, believes Pelinka will be named NBA Executive of the Year Award.
Magic Johnson believes Lakers GM Rob Pelinka will be the NBA Executive of the Year
“I think he followed it up with another outstanding job, first from the trade deadline and then he kept it going in the summer. He did better than anybody in the summer,“ Johnson said, via Broderick Turner of the L.A. Times.
“All the moves he made, he was the No. 1 GM in the NBA this offseason. No question about it. All the guys that we signed will help LeBron and the other guys because now we are deeper. Rob is going to be executive of the year.”
There’s still an entire season ahead of us, so it may be too soon to tell who will emerge victorious in the end of season awards. But at least, Pelinka has given Lakers fans reasons for optimism this year.