LOS ANGELES _ The Los Angeles Lakers are closing in on hiring agent Rob Pelinka to be their new general manager, people with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Los Angeles Times.
And as they worked to finish that deal, they made a trade, sending Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets.
According to the Vertical, the Rockets are giving the Lakers a first-round pick and wing player Corey Brewer in exchange for Williams. The Vertical also first reported Pelinka's nearing a deal with the Lakers.
"It's a lot of talent," Brewer said, when asked what he knew about the Lakers. "Lot of young guys that can really play. They're up and coming. Coach (Luke) Walton's a very good coach. Hopefully I can come help the culture and keep it going up."
After the Rockets concluded practice on Tuesday, Houston General Manager Daryl Morey and Coach Mike D'Antoni met with Brewer to thank him and let him know he'd been traded.
Brewer, who is in his 10th NBA season, spent the last three seasons with the Rockets. He said he would be comfortable in a mentorship role if that's what the Lakers asked of him, but feels confident he can still help on the court, too.
"Just the way I play I bring a lot of energy," Brewer said. "(They have a) lot of young guys. Help all the young guys as much as I can. What I know about the game. Just try to get better, help the team get better and play hard every night."
Brewer makes $7.612 million this season and will make $7.58 million next season. He'll be a free agent during the summer of 2018.
New Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson began handling trade responsibilities when he assumed the role Tuesday morning. As of 2:30 p.m., Pacific time, Johnson said he'd heard from 10 general managers and was on his way to speak with three more.
Once the deal for Pelinka is finalized, he will handle day-to-day matters, with Johnson having final say over player acquisitions and the draft, Johnson said.
Pelinka is very familiar with the Lakers organization, having represented Kobe Bryant during his playing career. While Johnson didn't give any names of whom he would hire, he did speak to the idea of having a general manager who did not have front-office experience.
"Basketball has changed so much," Johnson said. "Those days are over with. The salary cap and the new CBA has changed the game of basketball. People who understand the CBA, understand the salary cap, understand analytics. All of those things that wasn't a big thing when I played is so much a part of the game. ... We understand they don't have to have experience (in the front office). We see what happened with Golden State. We've seen teams that didn't hire guys who had experience in the front office before."
Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers was an agent before entering the front-office world. He first served as an assistant general manager for the Warriors before being promoted to general manager.
