The Los Angeles Lakers announced two front-office additions Friday, hiring former Miami Heat executive Eric Amsler as assistant general manager, player personnel, and Keith D’Amelio as director of integrated performance systems, per the Los Angeles Times. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the Amsler hire earlier in the week.

Amsler spent the previous 22 seasons with the Heat, most recently serving as vice president of player personnel and general manager of G League affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce, where he oversaw the Heat’s scouting department and evaluation of draft, professional and G League prospects. He joins former New Orleans Pelicans executive Rohan Ramadas as assistant general managers hired this offseason; Ramadas, who joined the team in May, will be involved in managing the salary cap, analytics and data, while Amsler’s responsibilities will mirror the scouting and player development duties he held in Miami.

D’Amelio most recently served as chief innovation officer for the New York Liberty, where he worked across basketball operations, health and performance, analytics and applied sciences, and his previous NBA experience includes stints with the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics. In a statement, Pelinka said continuing to invest in and strengthen the basketball operations group is a top priority, and that Amsler and D’Amelio bring experience that will add expertise across the organization.

The moves close out a plan that had been in motion for months. Boosting the team’s behind-the-scenes infrastructure was one of Mark Walter’s major initiatives when the Dodgers owner bought the Lakers in 2025, and after last season Pelinka said the ownership group was working to create two assistant GM positions and upgrade treatment, physical therapy and sports science facilities to mirror the success of the Dodgers. Those plans came into question when Walter sold his majority stake to Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner last month.

What This Means

These hires answer the two functions Pelinka publicly named in the spring — analytics on one track, scouting and player development on the other — and they specifically target a documented weakness. The Lakers’ 2025-26 media guide listed just three full-time domestic scouts and two international scouts, and Amsler’s remit is exactly that pipeline. The larger tell is timing: the second AG search dragged for months and reportedly stalled around the ownership transition, so completing it now signals the new owners intend to fund the Dodgers-style operations buildout Walter started rather than pause it. For a roster built to win around the Dončić-Reaves core, an actual pro scouting department is the kind of behind-the-scenes investment that has lagged the on-court ambition.

What’s Next

Attention turns to the ownership change itself, which remains pending league approval. The transaction that valued the Lakers at a record $12.5 billion still needs to be approved by the NBA board of governors, which next meets Sept. 14-15, though approval for the Lakers change will likely not be on that docket, according to ESPN.

Source: Shams Charania of ESPN