Lakers GM Rob Pelinka Reveals Team’s Free-Agency Strategy

Pelinka addressed the team’s mindset with free agency getting underway on Friday.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka addressed the team’s plans for the upcoming free-agency period which will get underway Friday. 

During a media address on Tuesday, Pelinka indicated that L.A. is not planning to make any significant roster changes and will instead focus on keeping its core intact after reaching the Western Conference finals last season.

“We want to try out hardest to keep this core together,” Pelinka said, via Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. 

In terms of what additions the Lakers might make, the GM suggested the team will be looking to upgrade defensively, honing in on “defensive-minded, selfless players,” per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Rob Pelinka said the Lakers are targeting tough, defensive-minded, selfless players in free agency. He echoed that the plan continues to be running it back with marginal upgrades.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) June 27, 2023

Pelinka has been clear about his desire to run it back next season with largely the same roster as 2022-23, and with free agency looming, it seems as though the organization’s mentality has not shifted.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported Monday that the Lakers “were a lock” to match any offer that shooting guard Austin Reaves receives as a restricted free agent, regardless of the price of the deal. Rui Hachimura is also a restricted free agent this offseason, while D’Angelo Russell will be an unrestricted free agent. The Lakers hold Russell’s Bird rights, meaning they can go over the salary cap to offer him a raise in a re-signing or sign-and-trade scenario.

On Tuesday night, the Lakers extended qualifying offers to Hachimura and Reaves.

Additionally, Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley are both on non-guaranteed contracts, so the team has until Wednesday to make a decision regarding their futures. 

The Lakers also hope to re-sign Lonnie Walker and Dennis Schroder, both of whom are non-Bird free agents, meaning the Lakers are only able to offer them 20% salary hikes without incurring a cap hit.