The Los Angeles Lakers are making front office changes. After a brutal four-game sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, the organization entered the offseason with major decisions to make, starting at the top of the front office.
Los Angeles finished the regular season 53-29, fourth in the Western Conference, under second-year head coach JJ Redick. The Luka Doncic era appeared to be everything the franchise had hoped for until a hamstring injury in April sidelined him for the final stretch of the regular season and the entire playoff run.
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In his end-of-season press conference on May 12, general manager Rob Pelinka told reporters the organization was actively interviewing candidates for two assistant GM positions after parting ways with Jesse Buss in November.
The Lakers have now made their first hire. The Los Angeles Lakers are bringing in former New Orleans Pelicans vice president of strategy and operations Rohan Ramadas as an assistant general manager under president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, per ESPN’s Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin.
The Los Angeles Lakers are hiring former New Orleans Pelicans vice president of strategy and operations Rohan Ramadas as an assistant general manager under president Rob Pelinka, sources tell me and @mcten. The Lakers have interviewed candidates to bolster their front office.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 25, 2026
Ramadas brings a deep analytics background to Los Angeles. He spent eight seasons with the Pelicans organization, beginning as an analytics consultant before being elevated to Senior Director of Analytics and Innovation. Prior to New Orleans, he served as a draft analyst with the Miami Heat in 2016-17.
Outside of basketball, Ramadas spent over a decade supporting the Aerospace Corporation, U.S. Space Force, and NASA as a rocket guidance, navigation, control, and mission design engineer. He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in astronautical engineering from USC.
One assistant GM position remains open and Pelinka said the front office construction would “hopefully” be finalized around NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. As for Pelinka himself, he signed a multiyear contract extension with the Lakers in April 2025, which also included a promotion from vice president to president of basketball operations and general manager.
The extension ensures Pelinka remains the lead decision-maker for the franchise as it builds around Doncic.
Related: Luka Dončić Makes Personal Announcement After Lakers’ Elimination