Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka boldly called Luka Doncic the player who will „lead the franchise“ in its pursuit of future championships
When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired star point guard Luke Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks back in February for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick, many credited Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka for pulling off the heist of the century.
The deal seemingly came out of left field, and many believed the Lakers fleeced Mavericks GM Nico Harrison in landing who Pelinka called a „one-of-a-kind, global superstar.“
Less than six months after that trade, the Lakers locked Doncic up with a three-year, $165 million extension on Saturday.
Moments after the Doncic news broke, Pelinka released a statement in which he revered the 26-year-old Slovenian while also seemingly anointing him in a symbolic passing-of-the-torch moment as the Lakers‘ new face of the franchise, replacing future Hall of Famer LeBron James.
