Rob Pelinka hints at Lakers offseason blueprint inspired by Dodgers’ success

The Los Angeles Lakers are still fighting to improve their spot in the West before the playoffs start. Sitting fifth is not a disaster, but it's not where this franchise wants to be when the postseason rolls around.

Expectations don't leave much room for settling in L.A. That is why the reaction was so big when Mark Walter bought the Buss family's controlling stake last October in a deal worth $10 billion. The move connected the 17-time NBA champions with another proven winner in the city, the Dodgers, who are fresh off back-to-back World Series titles.

Rob Pelinka spoke about that connection on Saturday for the first time since the sale became official, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. He opened up about how the Lakers plan to follow the Dodgers' blueprint as they rebuild their basketball operations.

"When Mark bought the team, Jeanie and I did a really deep dive with him on sort of the areas he wants to grow and move into and get aggressive," Pelinka said.

"Looking at the Dodgers and how they built it out has been a great sort of example and North Star. And so we're still going through that process of how we'll look in the offseason and what additions we'll make. But there will be some positive changes, and we will build things out."

Inside the Lakers’ new way of doing business

Pelinka did not stop at praising the Dodgers' approach to drafting and developing talent. He also made it clear how decisions will work going forward, and the structure sounds pretty direct.

"Led by myself and Jeanie, and with Mark's support."

There's not much mystery in that setup. The Lakers already run a leaner front office than most teams across the league. Pelinka has been the main decision-maker on basketball moves since Magic Johnson walked away without warning in 2019, with Kurt Rambis sticking around as a senior advisor.

That group shrank even more in November after the team parted ways with Joey Buss, who served as alternate governor and vice president of research and development, along with assistant GM Jesse Buss. A handful of scouts were also cut.

Pelinka says the plan now is to model what the Dodgers have done while slowly adding people around him to support that direction.