Is LeBron James trying to pull a “Game of Thrones” move on Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka? One NBA insider appears to think so.
Ric Bucher of Fox Sports spoke with some anonymous Eastern Conference general managers for a story this week. One such GM gave an interesting tidbit about James and the front-office situation in Los Angeles.
“I heard that he was trying to get Sam Presti in there to replace Rob,” the GM was quoted as saying about James. “I don’t see that happening, but I could see him trying to get Pelinka out of there.”
Bucher’s story contains some other information about the four-time MVP James’ potential future with the Lakers as well as about the possibility of him playing with his son Bronny. You can read it in its entirety here.
The Lakers are now 27-32 this season, and James has made it clear that he is not pleased with the front office’s continued failures to upgrade the roster. One recent report even likened the situation between James and the front office to a war. While James’ agent recently indicated that they are on the same page as Lakers management, Bucher added that the executives he spoke to are not buying that.
As for Presti, the GM of the Oklahoma City Thunder, he has established himself as one of the best GMs in the league during his 15 years in OKC. Presti is also the longest-tenured active GM in the NBA, so it is tough to envision him leaving. But that might not stop James, who gushed about Presti during All-Star Weekend, from trying to poach him.
James does not have much reason to be loyal to Pelinka, who curried favor with the Lakers through his representation of the late Kobe Bryant. After all, Magic Johnson, Pelinka’s former front-office partner, seemed to be the one who had a bigger role in bringing James to the Lakers in 2018. But if you believe this recent report about Pelinka’s job security in L.A., James probably won’t have any luck in trying to overthrow him.
More must-reads: