Lakers' Rob Pelinka Finishes 6th in NBA Executive of the Year Voting After Luka Trade
Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka finished sixth in the 2024-25 NBA Executive of the Year Award voting.
The NBA revealed the results Tuesday with Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti taking the honors, followed by Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman, Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and Pelinka:
Pelinka received one first-place vote, one second-place vote and three third-place votes for a grand total of 11 points.
Notably, Pelinka acquired superstar guard Luka Dončić in a shocking trade with the Dallas Mavericks in February.
There was no indication that Dončić was on the trade block, but Pelinka made it happen, acquiring Luka, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris from the Mavs for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.
While Davis is a star in his own right, he is six years older than Dončić and often injured, so it was surprising that Pelinka was able to land Luka with AD as the centerpiece and very little draft capital involved.
Dončić impressed in his 28 regular-season games with the Lakers, averaging 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 3.6 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals per contest.
Luka was also the Lakers' leading scorer in the playoffs, averaging 30.2 points to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists, although Los Angeles was knocked out in five games in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota's tall lineup led by center Rudy Gobert exposed the Lakers' lack of interior talent and depth after trading away Davis, and that weakness is likely a big reason why Pelinka didn't finish higher in the Executive of the Year voting.
Pelinka did attempt to address the issue by trading Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams, but the deal was rescinded after the trade deadline had already passed due to Williams failing a physical.
With no time to pivot to a different move, the Lakers entered the playoffs undermanned on the interior.
Still, the trio of Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves helped the Lakers secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record, which was their best mark since the 2019-20 season.
Even with James being 40 years old, the Lakers' championship window has perhaps been extended thanks to the acquisition of Dončić, and there is little doubt that Pelinka deserves credit for making that happen.
