As the NBA world gears up for an exciting Indiana Pacers-Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Finals, there is a lot of credit to be handed out.
Credit has to be given to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has put on an MVP performance to lead a young team through a difficult West. Credit must also be given to Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton, who dominantly dismissed everyone in the East.
However, more credit has to go to the front offices that were able to retrofit deep, talented rosters that complement these NBA stars.
Sam Presti has long been considered one of the best general managers in sports. He made the trade that landed the Thunder not only SGA but also young star Jalen Williams.
On the Pacers’ side, Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan, President and GM, respectively, have shown they know how to build in the post-CBA landscape. Last season, the Pacers traded for Siakam, who became the ECF MVP this season.
Even Haliburton came over to Indiana in a trade with the Sacramento Kings.
What Makes an Elite GM
What puts these GMs in another class is that they add roster depth around young stars.
Presti traded for Alex Caruso and signed Isaiah Hartenstein away from the Knicks during the 2024 offseason. Caruso has been the best defender of the playoffs. Hartenstein has averaged an efficient 9.2 points and 7.9 rebounds in almost 24 minutes per game.
Buchanan and Pritchard acquired Aaron Nesmith. This paid off when Nesmith led a Game 1 comeback against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
These GMs are good at making the big moves, but are even better at making moves around the margins.
The new CBA has left the NBA in a bit of a depth crisis.
Every year, well-rounded teams eliminate the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, even Stephen Curry early in the playoffs. Fans and analysts consider these players to be the world’s best.
Typically, they play to an elite level in the postseason. Many times, these losses have much more to do with the play of their teammates.
The Pelinka Extension
On April 18, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Los Angles Lakers extended Rob Pelinka, the current general manager of the team, and at the same time promoted him to president of basketball operations.
Rob Pelinka is potentially the most controversial GM in the NBA. He’s known not only for the highs of the Anthony Davis trade but also the lows of the Russell Westbrook disaster. So why did LA go through with this extension?
The answer is Luka Doncic. On February 2, 2025, Charania reported a trade so shocking that almost everyone believed he had been hacked. The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Anthony Davis and Max Christie.
This extension was likely due to a combination of factors, including hiring Head Coach JJ Redick and bringing in Dorian Finney-Smith. However, there is undoubtedly no greater factor that contributed to Pelinka’s extension than the Doncic trade.
Unfortunately, in the same breath, Pelinka traded away the Lakers’ only viable center option in Davis. This wouldn’t have been an issue if Pelinka had either signed or acquired a rotation-caliber center.
Unfortunately, Pelinka wasn’t able to do that, rescinding a trade for Mark Williams after the deadline. He also made no moves to get the Lakers a backup center weeks earlier when Davis publicly demanded one.
This issue was glaring in the playoffs. A lack of depth and size forced JJ Redick to play a small-ball lineup and run up minutes on both LeBron and Luka.
The only viable center on the roster, Jaxson Hayes, averaged a rather inefficient 7.8 minutes a game. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves had multiple different lineups and looks they could shift to as the series went on.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert dominated the Lakers as they went home in the first round.
Looking to the Future
Too often, general managers are rewarded for making the big moves. Still, it is the moves on the margins that matter much more in this new NBA.
Regrettably, this is not the first time Pelinka has targeted blockbuster moves over moves that shore up depth and set up long-term success.
Will Rob Pelinka learn from his past failures?
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