"He better take Nico Harrison out to dinner" - Lakers rewarding Rob Pelinka with contract extension after franchise-altering trade sparks fan frenzy

Two months after orchestrating the blockbuster trade that landed Luka Doncic with the LA Lakers, team general manager Rob Pelinka has signed a contract extension, ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed Friday. Along with his new deal, Pelinka has been promoted to president of basketball operations.

Team governor Jeanie Buss released a statement announcing the Lakers’ long-term commitment to Pelinka. According to Buss, she values the “partnership and professionalism” of the veteran executive.

Following news of Rob Pelinka's promotion, NBA fans on social media shared their thoughts. Here’s what some of them had to say.

"He better take Nico out to dinner," a fan said.

"The Luka trade saved his career," another fan said.

"Nico Harrison singlehandedly got pelinka an extension with the Luka trade 😭😭😭" one fan commented.

Others questioned Pelinka’s overall track record and wondered whether the Doncic deal was due to his brilliance or simply luck.

"A horrible guy gets an extension because another teams GM decided one day to make the worst trade in history smh," a fan said.

"Lucked into a trade he still isn’t a good GM," another fan said.

"He’s been nothing short of awful until Nico Harrison saved him," one fan commented.

Pelinka has been with the Lakers since 2017. He helped orchestrate the signing of LeBron James and the trade for Anthony Davis. In January 2020, he was promoted to vice president of basketball operations. That same year, the Lakers, led by James and Davis, won their first NBA title in a decade.

The championship earned Pelinka Executive of the Year honors. Since then, he has made franchise-altering moves, including the Doncic trade, the JJ Redick signing, the team-friendly extension for Austin Reaves and the acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith.

However, he also had some missteps, such as sacrificing depth to trade for Russell Westbrook and prioritizing Talen Horton-Tucker over Alex Caruso.

Lakers' majority owner talks about how she encouraged Rob Pelinka to hire a coach who shares his vision

In 2024, the Lakers parted ways with head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons. Although he led the team to the Western Conference finals, his tenure was met with mixed reviews from fans. Following his departure, the Lakers were linked to JJ Redick and UConn coach Dan Hurley as possible replacements.

On Thursday, Rob Perez spoke with Jeanie Buss, the franchise’s majority owner, about how she supported Rob Pelinka during the coaching search.

“I said to Rob, I want you to go and find a coach that meets how you look at the process and really compliments your style,” Buss said.

Buss said she wanted Rob Pelinka to have the freedom to select the next head coach. That process led to the hiring of Redick over the summer.

The first-time head coach has been well-received by fans and analysts alike. He led the Lakers to a 50–32 record, securing third place in the Western Conference — the team’s first 50-win season since 2019–20.