LOS ANGELES — Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka addressed the team’s trade deadline strategy and the future of the franchise regarding investment on and off the court on Saturday, the first time he has spoken publicly since the season began and the sale of the franchise officially closed. Pelin ka spoke to a group of local reporters, which included the Southern California News Group, for nine minutes before the Lakers took on the Golden State Warriors on Saturday evening. He called the team’s activity at the trade deadline “aggressive,” but in the sense that they turned down potential deals from other teams that might have been short-term fixes because they wouldn’t mesh with the long-term vision. Ultimately, the Lakers only made one trade before Thursday’s deadline, opting to swap veteran guard Gabe Vincent and a future second-round draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks for sharpshooting guard/forward Luke Kennard. “We were very aggressive,” Pelinka said. “We worked incredibly hard. We evaluated numerous things. … I can’t go into specific players or conversations with other GMs that would impede the trust of our business going forward, but we were super aggressive, had multiple conversations. Had lots of them, got close on some things, but ended up making the move we made and we feel good about it.” When it comes to roster construction, Pelinka said the team is actively having conversations with several potential additions for the team’s currently-open 15th roster spot, “doing their due diligence” on available players, saying that “at some point, probably, (we) will likely fill it.” Later Saturday night, a source told the Southern California News Group that the team would sign G-League guard Kobe Bufkin, who spent time with the Lakers on a 10-day contract in January, to a two-year contract that includes a team option for next season. Bufkin has averaged 24.7 points per game for the South Bay Lakers this season. Pelinka added that the Lakers will also keep an eye on the buyout market, which currently includes the likes of guards Lonzo Ball and Cam Thomas, both of whom could bolster the team’s backcourt options heading into the final 2½ months of the regular season. Saturday’s media scrum was also Pelinka’s first chance to address how the ownership transition between the Buss family and Dodgers owner Mark Walter will go, a $10 billion purchase that became official after the league’s owners voted to approve Walter on Oct. 30. Pelinka described the relationship between himself, Jeanie Buss – who remains the Lakers’ governor and continues to oversee the day-to-day of the franchise – and Walter as “working really, really strongly and well together.” “I think Jeanie and I have had several amazing conversations with him and keep him informed on all the details,” Pelinka said. “It’s also been great to have, you know, sort of outside allies and advocates looking at the Dodgers and the success they’ve had and what they’ve built over there, and being able to tap into a person like [Dodgers president of baseball operations] Andrew Friedman for best practices.” Pelinka expressed that he and Walter have spoken about emulating the Dodgers’ front office operations, with the caveat that how the financial structures of the leagues differ has resulted in a focus on other sides of the back-to-back World Series champions’ strategy. “I think just their draft process and sort of how they’ve established their farm system is amazing,” Pelinka said. “And I think there’s best practices in that as we evolve and get better going forward in those areas. And then just the way they’ve sort of built out their front office, how deep it is. There is no expense they’ll spare in being the best sort of front office in the world.” Although Buss has been “incredibly supportive,” Pelinka said, Walter’s investment can allow the team to build out and become even better, he added. The Lakers’ front office, smaller than that of many other NBA teams, shrunk some more in November, when the team fired Joey Buss, then the Lakers’ vice president of research and development, and Jesse Buss, who was an assistant GM, along with several members of the scouting department. When asked about potentially expanding the team’s scouting and analytics departments or just the front office in general, Pelinka said he and Buss did a “deep dive” with Walter on the areas he wants to see the Lakers grow and showcase aggressiveness. Those changes could come in the offseason. “Looking at the Dodgers and how they built it out has been a great sort of example and North Star,” Pelinka said. “We’re still going through that process of how we’ll look in the offseason and what additions we’ll make. But there will be some positive changes and we will build things out, again, led by myself and Jeanie, and with Mark’s support.” Buss will continue to be acting governor for at least four more seasons after 2025-26, according to the Lakers. Related Articles Lakers sign Kobe Bufkin to 2-year deal, sources say Luka-less Lakers hold off short-handed Warriors for 3rd straight win Lakers’ Luka Doncic ‘day-to-day’ with mild hamstring strain; Luke Kennard makes debut Lakers’ Luka Doncic to sit out vs. Warriors with left hamstring strain Veteran Maxi Kleber is making the most of his Lakers run ...read more read less