Magic Johnson couldn't be more hyped up after the Los Angeles Lakers sent the Golden State Warriors packing in Game 6 and secured their own ticket to the Western Conference Finals. While fans are praising LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves for the epic win, though, the NBA icon didn't forget to give credit to the unsung hero that made the run possible: Rob Pelinka.
On Twitter, Johnson heaped praise on Pelinka and encouraged the Lakers faithful to thank the LA vice president and general manager for the massive turnaround of the team.
“Laker Nation, we all owe GM Rob Pelinka a huge thank you and high five for making big trades that helped the Lakers advance to the Western Conference Finals! Rob, thank you thank you and thank you! Job well done!” Johnson wrote.
True enough, as Magic Johnson said it, Rob Pelinka deserves a ton of credit for how he helped pave the way for the team's offseason success.
The former NBA scout-turned-league executive received plenty of backlash after he decided to keep Russell Westbrook at the start of the 2022-23 season. But when he knew it wasn't going to work with Russ, Pelinka quickly took action. At the trade deadline, the team turned Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Thomas Bryant into D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba.
As everyone knows, the arrival of those new players allowed the Lakers to transform into a playoff contender. From a team that started the season 2-10 and many doubted would be able to make it to the postseason, they qualified in the Play-In and eventually the playoffs. Now, the Purple and Gold are headed to the West Finals where they will face the Denver Nuggets.
Pelinka may not be the one who played on the court, but he definitely did a lot to keep the Lakers winning.
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