It's hard to imagine that it was only four seasons ago when the Lakers won their 17th NBA championship. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the only remaining players still on the team. That should never have been the case.
In completely reshaping that championship roster, Rob Pelinka has done more damage than good. The Lakers still have the top-end talent to win. But the big gambles they took led to painful regrets and postseason disappointment.
Here are the biggest mistakes that Pelinka has made, leading to the team's decline.
MORE LAKERS: Best LeBron landing spots | LeBron to OKC? | How LA can get third star
Choosing Talen Horton-Tucker over Alex Caruso
Caruso showed a ton of potential as a defensive-minded guard during the Lakers' championship run. He and Horton-Tucker were both free agents entering the summer of 2021. The Lakers ultimately prioritized bringing back Horton-Tucker on a three-year, $32 million deal, letting Caruso walk for nothing.
Caruso wanted to remain a Laker. He gave them a chance to match the four years and $37 million that the Bulls offered. The Lakers thought he was too expensive. Subsequently, he's turned into an All-Defensive guard and one of the best contracts in the league, deemed too valuable for Chicago to trade.
Caruso would be the perfect present-day fit on the Lakers. A defense with him and Anthony Davis would be virtually guaranteed top-three in the league.
Caruso has also turned into a great 3-point shooter, hitting 40.8 percent of his attempts last season. The Lakers have been desperate for that type of 3-and-D player and they let him get away, instead keeping a huge disappointment in Horton-Tucker.
Losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma in the Russell Westbrook trade
The Westbrook trade was a disaster as soon as it happened. The Lakers shipped out Caldwell-Pope, Kuzma, and Montrezl Harrell in exchange for Westbrook and a second round pick.
Westbrook's fit never made sense next to LeBron. His tenure was marred by boos from the fans and horrendous spacing on the floor. The Lakers gave up on him after less than two seasons, trading him for D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Caldwell-Pope has become a fringe All-Defensive candidate and a key member of the championship Nuggets. He's connected on 40.5 percent of his 3's since leaving Los Angeles. The Lakers have not been able to replace him since he left.
Kuzma has taken off for the Wizards too, averaging 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists this past season. Both are the type of role player depth pieces that Pelinka has subsequently struck out on.
MORE: Revisiting the 2021 Russell Westbrook trade
Trading Jaden McDaniels
The Lakers had the 28th pick in the 2020 draft but no plans to use it. They selected McDaniels with the intent of trading him alongside Danny Green in exchange for Dennis Schroder.
Schroder did have some nice moments in leading the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals, but that was in his second stint with the team after signing as a free agent. In his first stint, he played just 61 games before leaving for another rocky stay in Boston.
Had Pelinka kept that McDaniels pick, he would have yet another amazing 3-and-D weapon on the team. McDaniels is one of the best forward defenders in the league, a terrific cutter, and a career 35.4 percent 3-point shooter. He has been one of the key starters for the Wolves during this postseason.
MORE: Breaking down defensive plays with Jaden McDaniels
Losing Brook Lopez and Ivica Zubac
The Lakers have had a hole with their big man depth that they've never really been able to fill. Pelinka has cycled through a ton of different options every season. He could have kept two on the roster that he instead inexplicably dumped.
Pelinka and Magic Johnson had Lopez on the Lakers roster back in the 2017-18 season. Lopez wanted to come back as a free agent, but they let him sign with the Bucks for a minimum contract. He's turned into one of the best value deals in the league and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
The Zubac trade was even more perplexing. Zu was a great second round success story for the Lakers but was traded midway through his third season for veteran Mike Muscala.
Muscala left that summer, while Zubac has solidified the Clippers' starting center position ever since.
