The Lakers just ROBBED the NBA

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]The Lakers just robbed the NBA and people don't even realize it as Lakers just pulled off a genius addition to the front office to help elevate the Lakers into a new stratosphere. We're going to dive into the details into what this hiring means for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers as they continue to add to the front office and they're trying to position themselves similarly to how the Dodgers operate.

[00:00:23]What's good? I'm OKAM and this is Lakers Digest coming at you with another video.

[00:00:29]Before we get to everything we have for today's video, I just remind you guys to subscribe to the channel if you guys haven't already to get those Laker updates guys because we are in the middle of the Laker offseason and if you don't want to miss on any of those free agent happenings, trade rumors, trades, just you want to come right here to Lakers digest so you don't miss out on any of that action. All right, now with that out of the way, let's hop straight into the topics of this video as the Lakers bolster their front office.

[00:00:55]So, the Lakers had made a hiring to their front office, bringing in a new assistant GM to help out Rob Pelinka in any way, shape, or form. And this was one of the the hirings they were talking about in their exit interviews as they were planning in to bring in one of two assistant GMs, and they have now done that. Now, before we get into that, I want to bring up our sponsor here, and that is Price Pics. Price Pix is the number one sports picking app and the best way to get into the action. We'll dive into some crazy picks later and some awesome promotions. But make sure you download the app using the link in the description. And if you use that code there, Digest, when signing up today, new users will instantly get $50 in your lineups when playing for their first $5. So, it just helps out the channel a ton. And we'll give you guys some picks later on in the update, guys.

[00:01:44]But just get back to our main story here as the Lakers added an assistant GM. And this is um courtesy of Sham Shirania and Dave McMinum saying the Lakers have hired a former New Orleans Pelicans vice president of strategy and operations uh Rohan Ramadanas um as an assistant general manager under President Rob Pelinka. Sources tell me and McMinnon the Lakers have interviewed candidates to bolster the front office. Now, uh, many of you guys may not be too aware of Rohan. He, uh, is a guy that started working with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2023, and he comes from a very unique background. He has, um, his background is in aerospace and, um, you know, data and analytics. So, he's a guy that is well-versed in data analytics, and this is a big reason why the Lakers hired him. So this is more in the story there from um David McMinnon saying that more on the strategy side. Pelinka said of the job description he was looking for to fill in the exit interviews with reporters last week. So cap analys uh an analytics and data after graduating from the University of Southern California.

[00:02:44]Ramadan spent more than a decade with an aerospace corporation before his first opportunity in the NBA in New Orleans.

[00:02:52]Um he is a literal rocket science. A Pelican source told ESPN, "While working for the Pelicans, Ramadan implemented AI and coded models to aid the front office." The sources told ESPN and that is just part of his background there.

[00:03:08]And you know, he's a local guy, so from USC, so he probably has, you know, was a Laker fan growing up. So for to get a guy um like this who like I said not too many people know too much about him but he's wellversed in data and analytics this is a huge boost and totally makes sense of the type of hiring especially from new owner Mark Walter. This has a lot of his name written all over it as the Lakers um before then were usually didn't have too many ways to offer in you know bolstering the front office just because of the way their uh front office worked beforehand. It was a very mom and pop shop, very just, you know, trying to cut corners, having guys do multiple jobs really. And now when you um add another assistant um um general manager as one more is going to be hired. This is sort of the plan here.

[00:03:59]And this is the reason why you um sell the team to a guy like Mark Walter because you have the opportunity to have more money in your pocket to spend to bring in the best talent from around the world because there's no cap space when it comes to bringing in guys for your front office, bringing in guys into your coaching staff or bringing in guys for your facility and things of that nature.

[00:04:18]So trainers, uh doctors, just you want to get the best people money can buy.

[00:04:24]And Wal Walter is doing just that. And that really um gets me to my next point here as the Lakers are trying to mirror the Dodgers. And this is a very very smart thing that um Mark is trying to implement and bring over. That's why he's brought um obviously some Dodger guys as you know specialist advisers and some guys to really help with the the planning and just you know building out the infrastructure of the Laker front office because they ran like a very like you know mom and pop shop and even to a point where JJ Reic himself before he even got the job was surprised of how shallow and how you know empty the Lakers front office is compared to other teams. So this is what Reic said as for years Lakers have operated with one of the thinnest front offices um a small uh player performance and medical group a tiny Alex team no assistant GMs even Reic after being hired as head coach in June of 2024 told a friend that he was surprised at how lean the team was behind the scenes. So, so Reic even saw like, you know, how bad the Lakers were and it was very imperative when the Lakers were um given over to their new owner, Mark Walter, that they were going to spend in this area. And the Lakers needed to because you have to try to build out the best team that you can so that when you're going after some of these free agents, when you're going after some of these trades, going after some of these deals, you have the smartest guys behind you in your corner and your back and you're able to, you know, execute some of these deals or, you know, if when it comes to um what this guy is specializing in in so like data and analytics, you can help find some of those guys who are maybe diamonds in the roughs or guys who have been overlooked um just based off of not getting playing time or just not getting their opportunity to. This is where you can really find some real keen guys that can help you out to the roster. And with, you know, a very numbersdriven um background, you're not going to have the biases that you can get would say with um um more of like a mom and pop shop approach where, you know, it's, you know, less people there. So those guys usually are well versed and know a lot of people within the organization. So, it's a little bit easier, I think, to trade some guys or even to add some guys when you don't have that sort of emotional aspect uh uh tied to it. So, this is just a guy who is um like I said, probably um um an LA fan growing up because, you know, went to USC. Um but for the Lakers to add a guy like this is just very very huge. And they're not done. As this is what was also said in the article there by McMinnon says LA plans to hire additional assistant GM to oversee player draft and evaluation process. Pelinka said the person's role will um maintain pro scouting dra um draft scouting player development.

[00:07:06]According to Pelinka, Pelinka said the Lakers are coming off their second straight 51 seating plan to use the summer to explore resources to provided by the new owner Mark Walter and integrate them into their operations and further straighten the bridge that exists between the brother sister organization the Dodgers owned by Mark Walter. And this is really really what you want to hear as a Laker fan because if the Lakers are being operated and run similarly like how the Dodgers run. The Dodgers who have been doing a tremendous job not only just accumulating talent and you know getting those high level talents but they've done a great job from their farm system as well. So they've done um a really good job of just you know nurturing talent whether it's you know bringing up young guys and you know adding them to the staff or you know just having those young guys ready to go to trade for certain assets where you know trading for Mookie Betts in the past or you know trading for Freddy Freeman in the past. So the Dodgers are just very very well verssed in using some of their athletes and using them correctly so they're able to really bolster their team and maximize sort of like their championship window because the Dodgers right now are hunting there for a three and this is really really started when Mark Walter took over the team and took over for the McCoys and he was a just a lot more sound and just um better owner because he was a guy that understood you know the current landscape and knew that he had to bring in analytics knew knew that he had to bring in smart people and knew that he had to bring in a lot more resources to really help the Dodgers and he really had. So, he's trying to replicate the same thing with the Los Angeles Lakers, which should be much good news for this Laker team because they need all the help and assistance they can get.

[00:08:47]Obviously, you the Lakers are in a great situation say for like free agents to come to the team, but this is to find those diamond in the rough types of players, you know, use those analytics to find those players. like I said, who've been overlooked or undervalued in some situations and then you could be able to, you know, try to use them to try to get them to on your squad. So, this is, I think, a very, very unique and interesting hire. And hiring one of the smarter dudes, a dude from who was a literal rocket science, I think, bodess very well for this team. We'll see who else they add to um this front office.

[00:09:20]But I promised you guys some picks later in the show. And this is for a game four later tonight between the Knicks and the Cavs as uh I'm looking at Mikuel Bridges who has been on an absolute heater. And right now I'm looking at a pick for two-pointers made. Right now a price fix has him at 4.5. I am going to go more here because Bridges has just been on a tear. I think he's been shooting I think close to 70% in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. I just cannot stop him right now. And then with the the the Knicks up 3 0, I do think they are going to really take it to the Cavaliers in this game. And then another pick that I'm looking at is Jared Allen. Jared Allen um could be rumored, you know, to be coming to another team one day, but as of right now, he's at 12.5 on his uh projections here for um against the Knicks in a possible closeout game. But um he's usually one of those high energy, high effort guys. And I think he can get this pretty quickly, especially in a game like this where yes, stars are going to be looked at to be the ones, but he is going to be a guy that's going to feed in around the basket. He is just going to be relentless as he can be because he does not want to be today to be the last day of his season there. So, I think more is a good choice here. But just remember guys, use that code there um digest when you're um signing up for uh prize picks as because new users will get $50 instantly in their lives for the first $5. And there's just a whole bunch of other promotions going on as there's the NBA playoff sweep stakes that is um going on through the finals and it will give you a chance to win tickets to the finals and also travel, some hotels and meals. There's also the scary hour uh boost. So during the players um you know or during the playoffs um they're going to be doing live uh picks every night and there'll be a scary hour payout boost to level up u member lineups of all overall NBA action. There also is the flex Friday in full swing which will boost your high-end week um by using flex Friday payouts to get a 40% higher payout every Friday. And there's T taco Tuesday, which is discounted projections all Tuesday long. So, just a lot of things going on in price fix, guys. And just remember to play responsibly. All right, that's going to be it for this video, guys. Make sure you guys comment down below of what do you think of Rohan and having this new addition to the team. Do you think it's smart for the Lakers to, you know, have some more analytic or analytically driven guys to really help bolster this front office and Rob Link?

[00:11:53]And do you think it's a good um a thing the Lakers are trying to mirror themselves to look like the Dodgers so they can just run the organizations very very simply? Let us know in the comments down below. I have been your host Oketch Pakma and I'll catch you guys on the next