‘Insane’… LA Lakers GM Rob Pelinka called out over plan that could waste Luka Doncic and LeBron James duo

NBA expert slams Rob Pelinka as LA Lakers’ long-term plans revealed

Dave McMenamin explained to ESPN that the Lakers effectively chose to let Finney-Smith leave due to the long-term future of the organization.

“Though Finney-Smith was a popular locker room figure and helped the Lakers to a 14-6 record in the 20 games he started in the regular season, LA exercised discipline in its negotiations to preserve cap space for 2027, when the team expects to have space to sign a max-salary free agent,” he wrote.

Popular NBA podcaster Kevin O’Connor could not believe the report, calling Pelinka “insane” for not prioritizing next season.

He tweeted: “2027? You mean… two summers from now… for a player they may or may not be able to get? Is Rob Pelinka insane? You have Luka Doncic and LeBron James on your team today!”

The Lakers have also missed out on several center targets in free agency, so it appears Lakers fans will be unhappy when the regular season begins in October.

LA Lakers are wasting Luka Doncic and LeBron James’ small championship window

Luka Doncic is only 26 years old. He could play at an MVP-caliber level for another seven or eight seasons.

The issue is LeBron James. Even though he is still arguably a top 10 to 15 player in the league, he is 40 years old and in gradual decline.

This leaves the LA Lakers with only a year or two to win a championship with the superstar duo, so why not go all in?

That’s what almost every Lakers fan is calling for, but Pelinka has other ideas. It seems he is willing to forego the next two seasons to contend in 2027 and beyond.

If that plan is communicated to LeBron, perhaps we could see him return to the Cleveland Cavaliers or play for a fourth NBA team sooner rather than later.