Rob Pelinka hints at bigger Lakers plans after Luka Doncic’s statement on global stage

After seeing Luka Doncic dominate on a global stage, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is eager to build around Doncic where opportunities present themselves.

After an impressive EuroBasket campaign from Doncic with Slovenia, Pelinka opened up on what the star guard's performance meant for him and the rest of the Lakers' front office.

The way Pelinka sees things, with Doncic in peak form and LeBron James heading into the final year of his contract, the team is going to do everything they can to fuel an 18th championship run.

During an interview with ESPN's Dave McMenamin this week, Pelinka said:

"Luka’s play in EuroBasket made it clear to the entire basketball world that he’s on that incredibly short list of ‘best player on the planet’ candidates, if not at the top. ... If there are smart ways to pour into our championship aspirations for next year, we will execute on those.

"And we see having those two players on our team next year [as] an important moment, and we’ll continue to try to do all we can to deliver this franchise its 18th championship.”

While the Lakers have been linked to several different trade rumors this offseason, the majority of them surround Andrew Wiggins, who Miami is reportedly hesitant to trade this summer.

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Heat reportedly uninterested in trading Andrew Wiggins amid Lakers trade rumors

Although Rob Pelinka and the Lakers' front office have made some notable moves this summer, acquiring Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, the team has continued to be linked to Andrew Wiggins.

According to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, the Heat aren't really interested in dealing Wiggins before the start of the season after seeing him play just 17 games last season.

According to Siegel, because of that, Miami has a pretty significant asking price on Wiggins, and with LA reportedly unwilling to meet their demands, a deal seems unlikely right now.

As we get closer to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, that could change. If LA is aggressively buying, for example, or Miami is selling, the two sides could revisit a potential deal for Wiggins.