The Los Angeles Lakers made just one move at the 2026 NBA trade deadline, but general manager Rob Pelinka insists the organization was anything but passive.
Instead of chasing splash deals, the Lakers focused on preserving financial flexibility, highlighted by their trade that sent Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for sharpshooter Luke Kennard.
The move reinforced a larger organizational strategy, one Pelinka believes required discipline rather than headline-grabbing transactions, much to the dismay of Lakers fans.
“I would say we were aggressive,” Pelinka said according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “And one form of being aggressive is saying no to moves that come your way that might not be best for the short- and long-term future. That’s being aggressive, even though you end up doing nothing, because it’s hard to say no sometimes to getting a good player that could be a quick short-term fix, but could have implications for the long term where it doesn’t fit into the overall vision you have for the team.”
Pelinka continued speaking on the positioning of the Lakers for the summer.
“I think it’s clear for all the teams in the league that this dual-apron system is harsh and strict, and some teams have dabbled over the second apron and realize it can be a real challenge. …Knowing that there’s an unintended consequence when a new system comes into place, teams kind of learn their way through it,” Pelinka said. “We felt like creating optionality or having optionality now is really a positive thing for us this coming offseason. Because there’s some teams that maybe have gotten too deep into the aprons. And I think players, we see around the league, that become available when teams get in that position.
“So, whether it’s through free agency, whether it’s keeping our own players, whether it’s looking around the league for players that are really good that maybe teams are trying to get off salary, we feel like there’ll be so many different ways to complete our roster in the offseason.”
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