The Los Angeles Lakers are used to making headlines because they're one of the most storied organizations in professional sports. When something happens that's more than your typical story, they're put under an even bigger microscope, which is the case right now, between Mark Walter agreeing to sell his ownership stake to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, and Jeanie Buss fighting to stay on as governor.
The good news is, at least, as Sam Amick and Dan Woike reported for The Athletic on Wednesday, what's going on within the Buss family isn't expected to affect (subscription required) the Lakers' sale to Iger and Kushner:
A source with knowledge of Mark Walter’s thinking told The Athletic that the current Lakers owner didn’t believe the latest Buss family disagreement would threaten his deal with Iger and Kushner, which values the Lakers at a record $12.5 billion. Two other league and team sources also said they don’t expect the conflict to impact the transaction that will push the Lakers into their next chapter.
Considering that the sale to Iger and Kushner happened so quickly, and later in the offseason, Los Angeles didn't need the Buss family issues to affect it. The Lakers are already at a disadvantage (subscription required), as Woike reported the following on Tuesday for The Athletic:
"According to a pair of league sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly discuss the Lakers’ internal operations, there is a belief around the NBA that the team cannot complete the buildout of its basketball operations department until the ownership situation is resolved."
Buss family drama isn't expected to affect Lakers sale
Los Angeles has done a lot to its roster this offseason, but it's just as important, if not more so, to build out its staff, considering they take part in helping make those roster decisions. As Woike noted, the Lakers have "yet to make any inroads in pro scouting."
The next NBA Board of Governors meeting is slated for September in New York, but that may be too short a turnaround to vote on the Lakers' sale. The group will next meet in person next spring, but they can hold a virtual session (like with Walter at the end of last October) to vote once LA has assembled the necessary documentation.
The sooner Iger and Kushner can hit the ground running and officially take over for Walter, the better. And there is a chance that, when that happens, the Buss family could still be sorting out their situation.
Five of the siblings (so everyone but Jeanie) voted to sell the family's remaining 17.8% share in the team to the new ownership, which would remove Jeanie as team governor, since the NBA requires a 15% stake to hold that position. She's fighting back, and it could go to court.
What is going on between Jeanie and her siblings isn't a direct reflection on the Lakers, even though the Buss family has been synonymous with Los Angeles for years, but it's not ideal, either. It's not something that you want to have to deal with internally, but that's the position they're in.
It will be nice when they can resume business as usual and focus fully on putting the team in the best possible position to succeed. Questions remain about what that will look like with Iger and Kusher, and hopefully they will be able to deliver.
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