Rob Pelinka will always be tied to the franchise-altering gamble of landing Luka Dončić, a move that prioritized the future over loyalty. Dealing Anthony Davis, a 2020 title pillar, showed his willingness to reshape the Los Angeles Lakers at any cost.
With the 2026 deadline nearing and no new splash yet, the focus shifts to Pelinka’s past deadline swings, the hits, the misses, and the risks that built this roster.
Rob Pelinka’s NBA Trade History Shaped the Los Angeles Lakers’ Modern Era
Pelinka started off his trade run by shipping Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and a 2018 first-round pick
The move didn’t necessarily do much for the Lakers as they failed to make the playoffs. The young group of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Ivica Zubac was viewed as the future, but the absence of role players in Clarkson and Nance led to LA missing out on key contributors.
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In 2019, he traded Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley to the Los Angeles Clippers for Mike Muscala. The rationale for selling the center was to create space on the floor around LeBron James.
His next major move was in 2023 when he landed Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks. The same season also saw him deal Russell Westbrook and land potential-filled rotational pieces in Malik Beasley, D’Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
In a three-team trade that same season, the Utah Jazz traded Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and second-round picks in 2025 and 2026 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Beasley and Vanderbilt to the Lakers.
The Timberwolves traded D’Angelo Russell to the Lakers, and then traded Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, and a 2027 first-round pick to Utah, along with a 2024 second-round pick swap to Minnesota.
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This was followed by another move which saw the Lakers trade Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets and Patrick Beverley and cash to the Orlando Magic; Denver sent Davon Reed and a 2024 second-round pick to the Lakers and Bones Hyland to the Clippers; The Magic dealt away Mo Bamba to the Lakers, and the Clippers traded two second-round picks to the Nuggets.
The biggest move from Pelinka came last season when he shipped Davis, Max Christie, and a First-round pick to the Mavericks for Dončić and Maxi Kleber. While the move cemented the Lakers as immediate title contenders, they were eliminated in the first round by the Timberwolves.
