Lakers Rumors: LA Told HC Candidates Nobody Will Be Hired Above Rob Pelinka

Rob Pelinka is calling the shots for the Los Angeles Lakers.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on his podcast (h/t Ashish Mathur of ClutchPoints): "I know they told all the [coaching] candidates who interviewed Rob is the GM. Rob is going to be in charge. That's who you're going to answer to. We're not bringing in anybody in over him."

It would appear the Lakers don't intend to replace Magic Johnson, who served as the team's president of basketball operations since February 2017 and abruptly stepped down after the 2018-19 regular season. Or at the very least, the Lakers don't intend to hire a president with as big a say in basketball operations as Pelinka. 

It appears Pelinka's first major move as the team's primary decision-maker will be hiring Tyronn Lue as head coach, as the sides are negotiating a contract, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel is a candidate to join Lue's staff, per Haynes.

And Frank Isola of The Athletic reported Lue wants former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau on his staff as well. That would be quite the collection of basketball minds. 

But Pelinka's real task will be finding another star (or two) to pair with LeBron James, either in free agency or via a trade. There will be plenty of talented players to pursue: Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, Tobias Harris, DeMarcus Cousins and Nikola Vucevic are all expected to hit the market. 

And Anthony Davis will be on the trade block.

But many of those players could return to their current teams, while the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets also have cap space and will make a run at the top free agents. Expect the Boston Celtics to get in the Davis trade talks, meanwhile. 

So the Lakers will have stiff competition in their goal of building a contender around James. If the team fails to land another star, Pelinka's reported reign as primary basketball decision-maker could be short-lived.