Lakers Hiring Rohan Ramadas As Assistant GM

The Lakers will hire former Pelicans vice president of strategy and operations Rohan Ramadas as assistant general manager, according to Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania of ESPN. Ramadas will work directly under team president and GM Rob Pelinka. 

Ramadas joined the Pelicans in September of 2024 as senior director of analytics and innovation. He was promoted to the VP position last May.

The move was confirmed by Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link), who points to Ramadas’ scientific-based background, which includes more than 12 years with The Aerospace Corporation, and states that he’s “regarded as very smart by people in the league who know him.”

“He’s a literal rocket scientist,” a Pelicans source told McMenamin and Charania, adding that Ramadas implemented AI and coded models to help the front office in New Orleans.

Pelinka said at his end-of-season press conference that the organization had plans to hire two assistant general managers – one to specialize in pro and draft scouting as well as player development, and another to focus on strategy, particularly analytics and the salary cap.

The Lakers held face-to-face meetings with many of the candidates during the draft combine in Chicago, sources tell McMenamin and Charania.