Back in May, the day after the Lakers were swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rob Pelinka said front-office additions were on the way in the form of two assistant general managers.
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One hire would be focused on salary cap, analytics and data. On May 26, the Lakers announced the hire of Rohan Ramadas, a former New Orleans Pelicans executive, to fill that position. He has since been involved with the team’s NBA draft efforts, free agency and the offseason as a whole.
The other assistant GM would handle scouting, the NBA draft and player evaluation. Now, the Lakers have made that hire, announcing that they’ve hired longtime Miami Heat executive Eric Amsler. Amsler spent 22 years in the Heat front office, most recently serving as vice president of player personnel and GM for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League, overseeing the scouting department’s evaluations of amateur, professional and international talent.
The Lakers also announced they hired Keith D’Amelio as director of integrated performance systems. D’Amelio most recently worked for the WNBA’s New York Liberty as chief innovation officer, but he has previously worked for Stanford, the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors in other roles. He also spent 13 years working for Nike.
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“Continuing to invest in and strengthen our basketball operations group is a top priority as we build for the long-term success of our team and players,” Pelinka said in a press release. “Eric and Keith bring a wealth of experience that will add valuable expertise across our organization. Eric is a highly respected talent evaluator with an extensive background in scouting and player personnel, while Keith brings a unique perspective at the intersection of athlete health, performance, sport science and technology. We are excited to welcome them both to the Lakers.”
Yes, May is eons ago considering the Lakers have since been sold by Mark Walter, who had been deeply involved with changes across the organization, including the introduction of Dodgers front office staff as advisors to Pelinka. Walter sold the team for a $12.5 billion valuation to an ownership group led by former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner, a businessman and founder of a venture capital firm.
That sale has yet to be approved. The NBA Board of Governors is set to meet early next week in New York.
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