Rob Pelinka is confident that LeBron James wants to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers for the long haul. Russell Westbrook's future in Los Angeles, however, is murkier.
Pelinka spoke to the media on Monday at Lakers exit interviews (here's a thread) — the first time he's taken questions from reporters since his post-trade deadline conference call in which he falsely claimed that LeBron and Anthony Davis were aligned with the front office's decision to make zero moves.
On Monday, Pelinka insisted that the front office's “collaboration” with LeBron and Anthony Davis has been productive. He reiterated that while he accepts input from the two captains, any basketball decisions ultimately fall on Pelinka's shoulders. LeBron used his exit interview to repeatedly stress that the front office is in charge of roster moves, too.
Pelinka expressed a steadfast belief that LeBron — who is eligible for a two-year extension on Aug. 4 and floated the idea of returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers – is committed to the Lakers, and vice versa.
“The partnership we’ve had, first with LeBron, his representatives, has been great and just a gold standard. We’ve appreciated his professionalism and directness, and the amount of conversations we have over the course of the season is really meaningful. Every indication that we’ve received is that he sees the Lakers as his home. The CBA is very specific about what we can and can’t say about player negotiations, so we have to be very mindful and follow those rules. So I can’t talk about his future contract status. But the feeling is he loves being a Laker and sees this as a long-term home. That’s been made loud and clear.”
A few hours earlier, LeBron hid behind the CBA when asked whether he would sign an extension.
Pelinka said every season of LeBron's career is a "precious commodity" and the Lakers "have to do all we can to be caretakers of his legacy…Obviously, this roster did not work."
"There's a great level of trust in our collaboration with him."
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) April 11, 2022
Notably, Pelinka was vaguer on the prospect of Westbrook playing a second season in his hometown. Here are his full remarks when asked how Russ fits into the Lakers' future plans:
“Russ is a Hall of Fame player that gave everything that he could to this organization this year. He battled every game and we’re so appreciative of that. In terms of Russell Westbrook and his future — part of that’s in his control, first things first. He has a player-option. I’m sure he’ll sit down with his agent and have discussions around that. And like any player, we’ll partner with him after that decision is made on what’s best for his future. Again, rest assured, we’re going to look under every stone for ways to be better, and be open to anything that will improve our team and put us in a position to compete at a higher level next year than we did this year.”
(Spoiler: Russ is going to pick up that $47 million option, rather than accept a buyout.)
“I’ll just say, that statement is not about any specific player on the roster,” Pelinka added. “It’s a general statement. I don’t think it’s fair today to take any player on our roster and discuss his future — whether he’ll be in a trade, won’t be in a trade. I don’t think that’s fair. But in general, the statement I made, I stand behind.”
Last week, Westbrook said “the plan” is to return to Los Angeles, but he understands that “nothing is promised.”
Russ frequently clashed with the Lakers coaching staff and failed to adapt his game to fit alongside his new teammates. On Monday, LeBron praised Westbrook's availability and effort and lamented their lack of court-time together.
The Lakers can attach a first-round pick (or two) to entice a team to take on Russ. They can also waive him and stretch his remaining salary over the next three years.
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