LAS VEGAS — Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was widely praised following a very successful start to free agency, but one person’s support was especially meaningful.
LeBron James took to social media to post photos of each player the Lakers acquired in a very public nod of approval.
“It was also nice to just see him celebrate the roster, once we completed it, you know, a series of Instagram posts and different things, celebrating his teammates,” Pelinka told a handful of reporters at summer league in Las Vegas on Sunday. “And that’s just the leader LeBron is. He knows how to galvanize a group and bring them together and we’re just excited that he’s behind that.”
In a whirlwind of moves the first two days of free agency, Pelinka re-signed Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell, while adding Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes.
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Pelinka noted that he made it a priority to add height to the roster after the Lakers were swept by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.
“When you want to win a championship, you have to go through the defending champs and Denver’s size, I think, was something that really was apparent to us that we wanted to upgrade our wing depth,” Pelinka said. ” And so that was something else accomplished with the group we put together.”
The Lakers, who currently have 13 players under contract, know exactly how they want to fill one of their remaining two roster spots.
“We are actively in the market to add another big,” Pelinka said, adding he’ll be looking to sign someone with a different set of skills than the 6-foot-11 Hayes to dimensionalize the team’s depth at center.
Pelinka declined to comment on the Lakers’ impending decision regarding Davis’ contract extension, citing CBA rules. Davis has one more year guaranteed on his contract for $40.6 million, with an early termination option. He’s eligible August 4 to sign an extension of up to three years, $167 million.
“I wish the CBA allowed us to talk about negotiations before they’re allowed, but there’s pretty strict rules around that,” Pelinka said. “So, can’t really talk about contracts and negotiations. But couldn’t think more highly of Anthony Davis as a Laker and as a player. He’s helped deliver a championship to our franchise. He’s been an incredible captain and leader. We saw last year, willing to play through a hard foot injury to get our team to the Western Conference finals. So, just love having him as a part of our team.”
Pelinka, however, made it clear that both Davis and James are progressing well from their respective foot injuries that sidelined Davis for 20 straight games and James for 13 consecutive games. James said in March that he’d get an MRI during the offseason and determine whether he needed surgery to repair his torn tendon in his right foot.
“All the reports have been good around both those injuries, in terms of the guys being able to move past them,” Pelinka said.
As for James, who intimated that he was considering retirement in May after the Lakers were swept, Pelinka didn’t offer any new details on James’ thinking. (Sources recently told FOX Sports that they believe James will return.)
“We want to let LeBron speak about his plans and his future for himself,” Peilnka said. “It’s been great interacting with him over the offseason. And I’ve loved seeing him coach his son down at the Peach Jam, coaching Bryce. That’s what the offseason is for is time to dive into family.”
While Pelinka acknowledged that James’ praise during free agency meant a lot to him, he said he tries to pay little attention to outside noise, whether it be positive or negative.
“When I first took this job … Kobe [Bryant] said ‘You can’t get caught up in the praise or you’ll get a big head. You can’t get caught up in the criticism or you’ll lose your confidence. Just stick to the work.’ And I’ve always had that as a guiding principle for the work we’ve done.”
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