The Los Angeles Lakers managed to shock the world for a second time in the 2024-25 NBA season. The Luka Doncic trade was the main course. The sale of the team was the dessert.
Shams Charania broke the news last night that Jeanie Buss and the family were selling the majority ownership in the Lakers organization to Mark Walter of TWG Global. Lakers fans who are familiar with the job Walter's group has done with the Los Angeles Dodgers were buzzing with excitement.
By now everyone should know the Lakers were sold for a record $10 billion, the most of any sports franchise worldwide. The report suggested that Buss would be able to have her cake and eat it too.
"Jeanie Buss will continue to serve in her role as Governor after the sale," Charania mentioned.
However, a situation similar to this has played out recently in the NBA. Fans in Los Angeles will be paying close attention to how much power Buss actually retains in her role with the team moving forward.
Lakers ownership change could mirror another recent sale
Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective were forced to have an emergency podcast episode after the mesmerizing moment that took place on Wednesday. Tim MacMahon brought up an all important topic in the process.
"Why would Jeanie Buss remain the governor," MacMahon asked. "What exactly does that look like if she doesn't have majority control, but she's the final decision-maker? We'll see how that plays out."
Windhorst joked that given the fact Buss was the one selling, she 'got to set the parameters.' Questioning how much that means would be worthwhile here.
When Mark Cuban sold majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks to Patrick Dumon and his group, a similar situation played out. Cuban was supposed to be the governor and retain that control. That was not how the situation ultimately played out.
When the Lakers acquired Doncic from the Mavericks, Cuban could only watch in horror as the new ownership group made a move he never would have. Ironically enough, it will now be Buss potentially looking to avoid a similar situation.
Mark Cuban: "If I had any influence, the trade wouldn't happen. I was just as dumbfounded as everybody else. After I sold the Mavericks, the new owner Patrick Dumont decided that 'Ok, in Nico we trust.' So, here we are."
— Kirk Henderson (@KirkSeriousFace) March 21, 2025
Via Reddit pic.twitter.com/0pcMwJw6UD
No one is expecting Walter and his group to trade Luka again. That certainly is not the point or the focus of this conversation. However, monitoring where the dominos fall with regard to levels of control over the organization will be something that everyone is watching for moving forward.