Rob Pelinka says Lakers will trade first round picks for the ‘right deal’
Rob Pelinka has yet to make a substantial move that improves the Lakers in NBA free agency, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t willing to trade a first-round pick.
Tuesday saw vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka take the stage at the Lakers practice facility for the second time in a week. Unlike last time when he was introducing JJ Redick — who joined him again on Tuesday — this time they were introducing their new draft picks.
The moment was more about them and the excitement of bringing these players into the organizations and having them available to play in the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League.
However, given a chance to speak with Pelinka 48 hours into free agency, questions naturally veered in other directions as well.
Regarding L.A.'s ability to use their first round draft picks to make a blockbuster trade, Pelinka didn't mince words and made it clear he would use them for "the right deal."
He also couched the statement, discussing that "we're now in the apron world," hinting that first and second aprons make it much harder to execute trades.
"If the right deal comes and we have to put in draft picks, we will. We are now in the apron world" - Pelinka on the current free agency situation.
— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) July 2, 2024
Rob Pelinka says that "if the right deal comes and we have to put in draft picks, we will... We're now in the apron world... does it make good trades more challenging? Yes. Does it make good trades impossible? No."
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) July 2, 2024
With free agency moves happening on the first of the month, the Lakers have been noticeably quiet. There have been reports of James willing to take less than a max contract, so the pressure is on Pelinka to acquire a player for the full mid-level exception.
Klay Thompson was the top choice, but when deciding between the Lakers and the Mavericks, he picked Dallas. That's even with his Los Angeles roots and his father, Mychal Thompson, wanting to see him in purple and gold.
If Pelinka can't convince someone like Thompson, with so many Southern California ties, to join the Lakers, what quality player can he bring in that's worth LeBron taking a pay cut of tens of millions of dollars for?
The answer might be DeMar DeRozan.
The unrestricted free agent is apparently on LeBron's short list of players for whom he would take a pay cut. With the market shrinking by the hour, the Lakers could potentially get him without even needing to use draft capital.
The first and second aprons undoubtedly make trades harder and have new consequences to consider, but at the end of the day, that's the job.
Whatever the “right deal” is, the Lakers need to find it to maximize the final years of LeBron’s career.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.