Pelinka: Hoping James retires as a Laker; team has reached contract extension with Reddick

On September 26th Beijing time, Lakers GM Pelinka and head coach Reddick conducted a press conference, responding to media inquiries. The key points Pelinka addressed during the conference were as follows—

At the beginning of the press conference, Pelinka remarked that the Lakers experienced an offseason that was both “goal-oriented” and “fruitful.”

Following that, Pelinka revealed that the Lakers had finalized a contract extension with Reddick. He emphasized that although Reddick has been with the team for just one year, the organization has full “confidence” and “trust” in him, which was the main reason for the management’s decision to extend his contract early.

“Besides securing an extension with Luka (Doncic), and LeBron (James) choosing to remain with the Lakers instead of entering free agency—these are all positive and constructive outcomes for our team,” Pelinka said. “Additionally, our recent extension with JJ (Reddick) clearly signals that he is our leader in basketball operations both in coaching collaboration and on-court performance.”

Regarding Doncic, Pelinka mentioned that during a visit while the European Championship was underway, he was impressed by Doncic’s leadership qualities, and he looks forward to seeing that same trait continue within the Lakers organization.

On LeBron James’ career plans, Pelinka stated that the Lakers respect LeBron’s “autonomy to shape his own story” — meaning it is up to him to decide how long he wants to keep playing in the NBA. However, the team’s approach this summer was “clear-cut,” having assembled the necessary pieces to build a competitive roster around LeBron, helping him pursue greater success in the upcoming season. Pelinka also reiterated the Lakers’ strong desire for LeBron to officially retire as a member of the Lakers franchise.

Pelinka also expressed his hope that Rui Hachimura will further elevate his performance next season and achieve another “production leap.” Regarding Hachimura’s contract extension, Pelinka noted that the team does not discuss such negotiations publicly. From Pelinka’s response, it appears that extension talks with Hachimura are currently underway.