Lakers Rumors: VP of Basketball Ops Rob Pelinka Agrees to New Contract Through 2026

Rob Pelinka's tenure as Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations is set to continue for four years after the two sides agreed to a contract extension.

Per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Pelinka's extension runs through the 2025-26 season.

This has been a busy offseason for Lakers governor Jeanie Buss in shaping the long-term direction of the franchise.

Darvin Ham was hired as head coach June 3. He replaced Frank Vogel, who was fired at the end of the 2021-22 season after the Lakers missed the playoffs.

Amid some speculation that LeBron James might play out the last year of his contract, the four-time NBA MVP signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension Aug. 18 that also includes a player option for 2024-25.

James and Anthony Davis are now under contract for the same number of years.

Haynes reported in early August that Pelinka told James he "wants James to retire as a Laker and promised to provide him with every resource possible to compete for a championship" as long as he's with the organization.

During a news conference at the start of training camp, Pelinka addressed the possibility of using the Lakers' future first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2029 via trade.

Pelinka's reported extension is a sign of faith from Buss that he has the team back on the path to being a playoff contender. Having James and Davis healthy will certainly help matters after they combined to miss 68 games last season.

After starting his professional career as a player agent, Pelinka was hired by the Lakers as their general manager following Mitch Kupchak's firing. He retained his role as GM and was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in January 2020.

The Lakers have made the playoffs twice in five seasons since Pelinka was hired to work in the front office. They won the 2019-20 NBA championship.