{"id":178886,"date":"2026-02-24T23:59:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T04:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=178886"},"modified":"2026-02-24T23:59:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T04:59:36","slug":"lakers-lon-rosen-comments-on-pelinkas-future-magics-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/02\/24\/lakers-lon-rosen-comments-on-pelinkas-future-magics-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers\u2019 Lon Rosen Comments on Pelinka\u2019s Future, Magic\u2019s Return"},"content":{"rendered":"

The more things change, the more they stay the same\u2026sort of.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lon Rosen, the Lakers\u2019 newest President of Business Operations<\/a>, held a press conference Tuesday afternoon, providing clarity on the front office\u2019s future and Rob Pelinka’s status.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lakers\u2019 Lon Rosen Comments on Pelinka\u2019s Future, Magic\u2019s Return<\/h2>\n

Pelinka Isn\u2019t Leaving<\/h3>\n

In remarks captured by <\/span>The Los Angeles Times\u2019 Brad Turner<\/span><\/a>, Rosen confirmed that, as expected, Pelinka will stay as the president of basketball operations under Mark Walter\u2019s leadership, and the front office will look to expand and take some cues from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers\u2019 top executives\u2014team president Andrew Friedman and special adviser Farhan Zaidi\u2014have already begun assisting the purple and gold.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRob\u2019s empowered to do what he does \u2026 And he\u2019s talked about it and I can talk about it. Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, they have involvement helping Rob a bit. It gives you a deeper bench, and I think Rob appreciates that. And it is unique. But they have a skill set that they can transfer some of it here. And that\u2019s really how we look at it. Look, I have a really good relationship with Rob. I\u2019ve known Rob Pelinka from when he was representing Kobe (Bryant). I met him many many years ago.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Here\u2019s my current thinking, and I\u2019ve gone so up and down with Rob, but what I feel is right: the org is getting more professional, and the expectations are going to increase. Rob has earned the right to meet those expectations and I think that\u2019s how it should play out<\/p>\n

— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n