The fans wanted Buddy Hield in the Lakers, but the player that signed Pelinka instead impacts

It has been a big surprise for the Lakers fans what GM Rob Pelinka was able to pull off in the free agent market and since the 2023 NBA Draft.

Not only have Ham and Pelinka drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, but they are repeating the formula that worked so well with Austin Reaves; they signed a two-way contract for two young promises.

The center Colin Castleton and the guard D'Moi Hodge. And while the fans wanted the Lakers to change the No. 17 pick for a trade with the Indiana Pacers for Myles Turner and especially Buddy Hield, the team may have chosen better.

The Lakers Nation wanted Buddy Hield on the Lakers, Hield is a 6'4" great shooter, and the young promise D'Moi Hodge is a 6'4" player that can shoot and play good defense, as he just proved it at the Summer League. Pelinka knows what he is doing.

D'Moi Hodge was one of the Summer League standouts for the Lakers

One of the best surprises out of the Lakers Summer League for the fans was how good D'Moi Hodge was and is becoming another hidden gem discovered by the Lakers scouting department.