If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Rob Pelinka in his time in the front office for the Lakers, it’s that he loves to go star-chasing. First, it was LeBron James, then it was Anthony Davis before turning Kawhi Leonard in the same summer.
A number of other stars have popped up as targets of the franchise in the years since. Winning a title with only two stars never deterred him from his belief and, eventually, Russell Westbrook became that guy.
Arguing the merits of whether he qualified then or now as a star is fair but the point is Pelinka viewed him as one and offered up a trade package as such.