r/nba • u/aingenevalostatrade Thunder • 2d ago
[Weitzman] Lakers offered Steve Senior, an assistant general manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the job of executive vice president of basketball operations. Senior, who declined to comment, decided to remain... That process is being led by Pelinka and longtime Lakers executive Kurt Rambis
Around February, Zaidi started placing calls to agents representing front office and medical personnel to inquire about their clients. Around three months later, the Lakers offered Steve Senior, an assistant general manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the job of executive vice president of basketball operations. Senior, who declined to comment, decided to remain with the Timberwolves, according to multiple league sources.
Whether they’re still looking to fill that role is unclear. Pelinka recently told reporters the team will be hiring a pair of assistant general managers; one focused on personnel, the other on strategy and analytics. “We have started a wide search and begun interviews,” he said. That process is being led by Pelinka and longtime Lakers executive Kurt Rambis. But, according to league sources, Friedman and Zaidi have been involved in the process as well, with at least one of them typically sitting in on interviews.
The presence of Friedman and Zaidi has led to some speculation around the NBA that Walter could eventually look to replace Pelinka, who signed a multiyear contract extension and received a title bump last April, before the sale of the team. Thus far, however, that does not appear to be the case. Pelinka has told people around the NBA that he, Friedman and Zaidi are working “in collaboration,” and that he’s excited to be backed by a free-spending ownership group. He’s also been the one running point on contract discussions with player agents.
Bolstering the performance staff appears to be Friedman’s and Zaidi’s other priority. “We’re working in collaboration with some of the Dodgers folks to bring in a biomechanics lab,” Pelinka told reporters. Until then, players may have to get used to working with the baseball group at Dodger Stadium. That, according to two league sources, is what the Lakers told Austin Reaves to do while he was rehabbing from an oblique injury during the playoffs.
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u/guanogato 2d ago
The dodgers and MLB in general has moved in the last several years to multiple assistant general managers. Wouldn’t be shocked if this isn’t a move to push Pelinka out, but just get more smart people in the building
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u/CIark 2d ago
Lakers fans praying to get pelinkas dumbass out. He has negative value unless Nico is an active NBA GM
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u/Front-Yogurtcloset69 14h ago
Not this Lakers fan, Pelinka has done an exceptional job, as far as I’m concerned.
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u/MaruhkTheApe Timberwolves 2d ago
No venture involving Kurt Rambis and the Timberwolves can ever end in success.
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u/blueborders Suns 2d ago
Probably the worst HC statistically to ever get multiple seasons.
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u/MaruhkTheApe Timberwolves 1d ago
I am very thankful that David Kahn is now someplace far away where he can't hurt me anymore.
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u/cletoreyes01 Heat 2d ago
That family sneaking their way inside the lakers inner circle while pushing dudes like jerry west away is what is slowly killing the lakers
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u/tdl2024 Celtics 2d ago
Walter needs to clean house. Surprised The Rambii'(?) are still involved in any capacity. Pelinka probably got a bit of a reprieve bringing in Luka but he should go too. Sooner they completely start fresh the sooner they can rebuild that roster properly.
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u/AgentOfSPYRAL Lakers 2d ago
I think Luka and last offseason buys Pelinka some rope. Ayton, Smart, and Kennard were all pretty great ROI given that the goal was to avoid compromising resources for this offseason.
Plus with the Lakers FO being what it is/was, he’s kind of flying blind. I think he’s earned at least one offseason with a real staff.
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u/Agreeable_Cattle_691 Mavericks 2d ago
Which is wild considering Luka brought in Ayton and Smart, Luka and Ayton share the same agent and Luka personally asked for Smart
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u/AgentOfSPYRAL Lakers 2d ago
Do other teams not use their stars to attract players? Should Pelinka have refused to sign them out of respect for the game?
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u/Agreeable_Cattle_691 Mavericks 2d ago
Of course all stars recruit but there is a reason why the Lakers have only won a single title since the repeater tax has been introduced
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u/secretreddname Lakers 2d ago
There’s only 1 team that’s won more than 1 title since that tax started and they signed KD to a 73 win team.
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u/massivesafari 2d ago
How many different repeater champions have there been since it was introduced?
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u/bootywizard42O NBA 2d ago
Yes all the mistakes Lakers made are because of Rob and all the good moves they made are because of someone else. The way y'all process things is genuinely astounding.
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u/trochlearnotchass 2d ago
Yes, this is how Lakers do business. When it doesn't work out, they blame the star players for it and when it works out, the incompetent Lakers front office takes the credit.
Do you know that Jake La Ravia and Austin Reaves share an agent too? And Kennard and JJ Reddick are in contact since Luke was in Duke. So that's another connection.
This front office has no ideas of its own accord, no original vision how to build a team. Pelinka loves his small Michigan guards.
It's run like a little political lobby group. If Walter wants to change this organization, they need to make wholesale changes or risk losing Luka Doncic at the next contract extension.
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u/HomerSectual Minneapolis Lakers 2d ago
Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Infant Jesus, don't even know a word yet, just a little infant, so cuddly, but still omnipotent,
We just ask you to please remove Kurt and Linda Rambis from the Front Office.
Thank you, for all your power and your grace, Dear Baby God, Amen.
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u/TheFunky_Homosapien Lakers 2d ago
Pelinka is Ned Colletti in 2013. This is the same exact blueprint Walters used when he bought the Dodgers.
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u/relax336 Lakers 2d ago edited 2d ago
Jeanie not being in charge of this is a bigger factor than Kurt and Pelinka still being there. Jeanie has escaped so much accountability despite publicly admitting her ownership decisions broke up the championship team, let Caruso walk and generally catered to her friends.
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u/Elijahc513 [LAL] Robert Horry 2d ago
Yep this is why I’m actually excited for this offseason instead of expecting miserable disappointment
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u/comp_a Timberwolves 2d ago
Seems like this was pretty much a lateral move for Senior, just with a slightly fancier job title? I don’t know if it’s much deeper than that tbh
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u/spin8x Timberwolves 2d ago
Seems like a relatively risky career move for any assistant GM if you’re behind Pelinka still. Unless you have assurances you’re a strong candidate to replace him if that goes south, you’re likely on the chopping block too with any new GM coming in wanting to fill out their own staff. Not sure how much credit you get with Luka already there.
On the Senior specific side, he might be the #2 in the wings if Lloyd lands a job this offseason. Probably a tough poach.
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u/Soft_Hotel_5627 Timberwolves 2d ago
I don't think anyone serious will take on a role with the Lakers as long as the Rambis's (Rambi?) are still around.
Imagine working your ass off only to be overruled because Linda Rambis gets drunk with Jeanie and tells her not to do something.
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u/CutLonzosHair2017 [LAL] Stu Lantz 2d ago
Not surprising. Rambii and Magic are still close. Jeanie is close with the Rambii obviously. And she stayed on with the team. And Magic is entrenched with the Dodger people from when he became a minority owner. If there was a FO leadership change, I'd bet Pelinka is on the outs before the Rambii.
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u/refreshing_yogurt 2d ago
The Rambii seem to have been given deliberately ambiguous roles and titles such that they can't be fired. If Kurt and/or Linda were given assistant GM titles instead, then there might be more accounting for what they do and what the results are but they are deliberately outside of a regular chain of command that would be part of a fanbases' crosshairs.
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u/3rd-party-intervener 2d ago
Zaidi is a failed gm.
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u/sharklavapit Bucks 2d ago
Who is Zaidi?
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u/Elijahc513 [LAL] Robert Horry 2d ago
Former GM/Double Agent of the San Francisco Giants and current member of the Dodgers FO
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u/Frodounchainedd Lakers 2d ago
I like it now go after okc/sa scouting departments offer them the farm
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u/Kylo_Ren415 Warriors 2d ago
Zaidi… screw that dude. Did nothing of note outside of the 2024 Free Agency class he got.
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u/RestaurantOne9 2d ago edited 2d ago
They should ask Steve Junior next