Lakers Make Unique Hire for Assistant GM: Report

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially in the offseason and putting their heads together on what to do to get this franchise back to the championship game next season.

One of the Lakers’ tasks at hand is hiring an assistant general manager to work under president and general manager Rob Pelinka. Now, according to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin, they have their guy.

In the report out Monday, May 25, Charania and McMenamin dropped the news that the Lakers are hiring Rohan Ramadas as assistant general manager.

Ramadas last served as a vice president of strategy and operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. He’ll handle a similar role for Los Angeles.

“More on the strategy side,” Pelinka told reporters last week of what he was looking for in candidates to fill vacancies, according to ESPN. “Cap, analytics and data.”

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What Makes Rohan Ramadas a Different Kind of Pick for the Lakers

This isn’t your usual hire. Ramadas has been in the sports world as of late, but he doesn’t come from a sports background.

Following his graduation from the University of Southern California, Ramadas worked at The Aerospace Corporation for a decade, from July 2012 to September 2024.

“He’s a literal rocket scientist,” a New Orleans source told ESPN.

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Maybe it will take a rocket scientist to figure out how to move the Lakers forward if LeBron James retires after this season. Regardless, it appears the Lakers have a solid new assistant general manager in the fold.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 4:41 PM.