Sunday marked the end of the Los Angeles Lakers’ awful 2021-22 season. The team finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record, missing out on the postseason entirely.
Throughout the season, it became clear that L.A.’s roster was poorly constructed. For many fans, anger has been directed at Rob Pelinka.
While many have been calling for Pelinka to be fired, that doesn’t seem likely. He reportedly has some time left before his contract with the Lakers runs out.
“Sources have told The Athletic that Pelinka has two years left on the contract extension that accompanied his promotion to vice president of basketball operations last year,” wrote Bill Oram.
It was recently reported that Pelinka is going to have another year to fix the Lakers. One can only imagine that the 52-year-old will make many moves this offseason as he looks to get L.A. back on track.
Russell Westbrook could be on his way out after a miserable first year with the team. Westbrook and the Lakers apparently have mutual interest in parting ways, and it seems like some teams are interested in the former MVP.
As of now, only LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Talen Horton-Tucker have guaranteed deals for next season.
Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn hold player options for the 2022-23 campaign. Nunn has already expressed that he intends to opt into his deal for next year.
Kendrick Nunn on his player option with the Lakers: "It's a non-brainer for me to opt-in."
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) April 11, 2022
Stanley Johnson, Wenyen Gabriel and Austin Reaves all have team options for next season. All three players provided the Lakers with some youthful energy this season, and it would be surprising if they weren’t on the team next year.
Only time will what ends up happening, but one thing is for sure: Pelinka has his work cut out for him.
