Lakers Part Ways With Longtime Player Personnel Director Ryan West
By Jerry Trotta
We might have reached NBA free agency purgatory as the summer sets into a lull, but that doesn't mean that league executives can't keep making news.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Lakers have parted ways with Ryan West, their Director of Player Personnel, a position he held for a decade. Of course, Ryan is the son of Hall of Famer, current Los Angeles Clippers consultant , and the man depicted in the Association's iconic logo, Jerry West.
After 10 years in the Lakers front office, Director of Player Personnel Ryan West is leaving the organization, league sources tell ESPN. West has been well-regarded league-wide for his role in many of the Lakers draft successes of the past decade.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 27, 2019
Ryan joined the Lakers front office back in 2009 after spending several seasons as part of the Memphis Grizzlies organization. He was eventually promoted from assistant director of scouting to player personnel director in 2015. It's understood that both parties felt that the relationship had run its natural course.
As Woj notes, West is widely credited for the success of past Lakers draft classes. In fact, he was behind selecting All-Star point guard D'Angelo Russell at No. 2 overall in 2015 and Jordan Clarkson at No. 46 the year prior. Of course, neither player is still with the franchise.
Lakers Director of Player Personnel Ryan West is leaving the team after 10 years, per @billoram pic.twitter.com/SS3BOsFkV5
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) July 27, 2019
Ryan deserves a lot of credit, as well as fans' respect, for his work in La La Land. Lord knows how tough it would be living under the shadow of a name like Jerry West. He did pretty well for himself, if you ask us.