The Los Angeles Lakers made their first significant move of the offseason by hiring Rohan Ramadas as an assistant general manager under president and GM Rob Pelinka, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Ramadas, who last worked as a vice president of strategy and operations for the New Orleans Pelicans, will be focused on similar responsibilities for the Lakers.
"More on the strategy side," Pelinka said of the job description he was looking to fill during exit interviews with reporters last week. "Cap, analytics and data."
After graduating from the University of Southern California, Ramadas spent more than a decade with the Aerospace Corporation before his first opportunity in the NBA with New Orleans.
"He's a literal rocket scientist," a Pelicans source told ESPN.
While working for the Pelicans, Ramadas implemented AI and coded models to aid the front office, the source told ESPN.
The Lakers have been interviewing candidates to bolster Pelinka's front office, meeting face-to-face with many of them in Chicago during the league's predraft camp, sources told ESPN.
L.A. also plans to hire an additional assistant GM to oversee "player draft and evaluation processes," Pelinka said. That person's role will entail "pro scouting, draft scouting, player development," according to Pelinka.
Pelinka said the Lakers, coming off their second straight 50-win season, planned to use the summer to explore the resources provided by new owner Mark Walter and integrate them into their operation, and further strengthen the bridge that exists with their "brother-sister organization," the Los Angeles Dodgers, also owned by Walter.