JaVale McGee to Sacramento (No Lakers Reunion). Rob Pelinka Gets Ranked Among NBA General Managers

A prospective option for the 14th roster spot (that's the backup C, or the backup to the backup C, depending on your POV and the play of Jaxson Hayes...) is already off the board before most Lakers fans really had a chance to lean into any possibilities. JaVale McGee, three time NBA champ, one time Lakers champ, who was released by the Dallas Mavericks at the end of last week, has quickly moved on. He'll be joining the Sacramento Kings, via Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports. Smart move for JaVale, who quickly moves to a team that will play meaningful basketball this season. No reason to sit around waiting to see if there are better offers (especially since his salary is bigger than a minimum, courtesy of the Mavs). But it does indicate that the Lakers didn't see him as a priority relative to Christian Wood, Bismack Biyombo, or any other player hiding behind Door #3. Mistake? Smart? Discuss. Meanwhile, there's a novel approach to ranking NBA GMs up at Yahoo! and it leaves Rob Pelinka smack in the middle at 15. Which feels appropriate, given the extreme highs and lows of the last few seasons. But the story really raises questions about how we evaluate the moves these guys make. What's a fair level of expectation for the success or failure of an undrafted free agent? Of a second round pick? What makes a trade successful, vs. another that might be a failure? Are all signings and trades created equal? (Spoiler alert... they are not.) HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: JaVale McGee heads to Sacramento. SEGMENT 2: Rob Pelinka, the NBA's 15th best GM? SEGMENT 3: Are we using the right criteria to fairly evaluate how GMs operate? Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Ibotta Right now, Ibotta is offering our listeners $5 just for trying Ibotta by using the code locked when you register. Just go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app and use code LOCKED. Birddogs Go to birddogs.com/LOCKEDONNBA or enter promo code LOCKEDONNBA for a free white tech hat with any purchase. You won’t want to take your birddogs off we promise you. FanDuel This episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, Official Sportsbook of Locked On. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS - GUARANTEED.  Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.  FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices