In a recent move, longtime agent Rob Pelinka was formally and officially named as the Los Angeles Lakers' new General Manager on Tuesday. Pelinka got the GM job shortly after Lakers owner Jeanie Buss fired longtime Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and her brother, Jim, as Vice President of Basketball Operations last month.

The team waited to officially announce the hiring until Pelinka has complied with NBA rules against conflicts of interest, in part by transferring responsibilities for his clients to other agents in his firm. According to NBA.com, Pelinka will now be working alongside Magic Johnson, who was hired by Jeanie Buss also last month to be the President of Basketball Operations for the 16-time NBA champion franchise, currently wrapping up another disappointing season.

Pelinka said in a recent statement that he is "beyond grateful" to join the Lakers Organization. He also praised the Lakers as being a gold standard franchise for sports, and that him and the team both share a common responsibility, which is to pursue excellence in everything.

Pelinka also went on to promise that he, along with Jeanie Buss, Magic Johnson, and coach Lakers coach Luke Walton will bring the team back to a championship level. "I am very much thrilled to get to work and help architect the Lakers' future.

Together, Johnson and Pelinka will work for hand in hand in an attempt to build a championship team from an intriguing young core of players, featuring one of the NBA's top young coaches in Walton, but to no success just yet.

In Jeanie Buss' own vision, as per a report from USA Today, Magic Johnson will be the Lakers' big-picture leader and public figure with all the final say on any basketball decision, while Pelinka will be handling the mechanics of contracts as well as salary cap management.

Rob Pelinka, 47, is a former University of Michigan basketball player who has become a very prominent agent for the past two decades. He has already represented numerous big-name players over the years, including longtime Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Channing Frye, Andre Iguodala, Chris Bosh, Buddy Hield, and Eric Gordon.

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