Change is clearly coming to the Los Angeles Lakers front office following the team’s blockbuster sale back in October 2025. But at least for now, continuity remains the plan on the basketball side with Rob Pelink still in a major decision-making role.
Rob Pelinka To Continue Leading Lakers’ Basketball Operations
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, newly hired Lakers president of business operations Lon Rosen confirmed that Pelinka will continue to oversee basketball operations, with input from outside voices.
“In a conversation with reporters, new Lakers president of business operations Lon Rosen says the plan is for Rob Pelinka, with input from Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, will continue to handle basketball operations,” Woike posted on X. “Pelinka told reporters the plan is to have an expanded front office this summer.”
Rosen was officially hired on Thursday, Feb. 19, replacing and stepping into the role at a time of major organizational transition. His hiring follows the Lakers’ blockbuster sale to Mark Walter, the principal owner of the Dodgers, who purchased the franchise for a record $10 billion. The deal was finalized in late October 2025 after being announced earlier that summer.
Rosen has previously spent years as the Dodgers’ chief marketing officer. His early comments made one thing clear that Pelinka’s role is not being diminished. Instead, the Lakers appear to be moving toward a broader, more collaborative front-office structure.
Rosen confirmed that the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations and special adviser will continue to provide input to Pelinka. Both Friedman and Zaidi began their advisory roles with the Lakers in November 2025, shortly after Walter finalized the purchase.
The influence is no coincidence. Under Friedman’s leadership, the Dodgers have become one of the most stable and successful organizations in professional sports, reaching the World Series every season since 2017 and capturing three championships during that span.
Walter appears eager to bring elements of that operational model to the Lakers, even if basketball and baseball require different approaches.
Pelinka himself has acknowledged the shift. Earlier this month, he stated that the Lakers’ front office will be expanded this summer, openly pointing to the Dodgers as something of a “vision board” for how a modern, well-resourced organization can operate.
Pelinka has been a fixture in Los Angeles since March 2017, when he joined the franchise as general manager. He was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 2020 and later elevated to president of basketball operations in April 2025.
Under his leadership, the Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship, a milestone that still anchors his résumé.
