It’s been weeks since the trade that rocked the NBA basketball world, but Lakers owner Jeanie Buss isn’t having any second thoughts about her decision to add Luka Doncic to the roster. Jeanie even said that her father, the great Jerry Buss himself, would approve of the deal that involved giving up a championship player.
“He’d be very proud,” Buss said, via FOX’s Melissa Rohlin. “My dad was such a great poker player and he said that he always wanted me to remember that poker was a game of patience. That you had to wait for the right cards. But once you got the cards, you had to go from zero to 100 and not be afraid to play them. So, it was difficult because we were not looking to trade Anthony Davis or Max Christie. But it was a deal that he would’ve made. And we had to go for it.”
Dr. Jerry Buss owned the Lakers for 34 years (1979-2013), overseeing some of their most successful years in franchise history. Under Jerry’s ownership, the Lakers thrived on the court with 10 NBA championships, led by NBA legends like Magic Johnson (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), James Worthy (1985, 1987, 1988), Kobe Bryant (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010), and Shaquille O’Neal (2000, 2001, 2002).
He bought the team for $67.5 million and turned the team into the crowned jewel of NBA basketball. Today, Jerry’s legacy lives on through his kids today, which includes Jeanie – who has been in charge since 2013.
With big shoes to fill, Jeanie struggled to keep the Lakers together during Kobe’s final days, and things were looking bleak recently until the arrival of Luka Doncic reset the timeline completely.
With averages of 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game as a Laker, Doncic still has a long way to go but he’s already making a huge impact. With LeBron and Doncic together, the Lakers have star power and we see the results as they stand fourth in the Western Conference.
It’s safe to say that Jerry would be happy with the direction of the Lakers but it doesn’t mean that he would approve of how it all went down. For Jeanie, the key to its success was ensuring it was kept in-house even if it left others involved completely in the dark.
Jeanie Believes Secrecy Was Everything In Blockbuster Trade
The Lakers had to give up Anthony Davis (along with Max Christie and a future first-round pick) to acquire Doncic, and there were some major risks involved. So it was only natural that Jeanie kept the trade talks a secret to keep the chaos and gossip to a minimum.
“These things fall apart all the time,” Buss said. “It was really important to me that we didn’t blow up the team. If it had leaked out and the trade hadn’t happened, that would be really unfair to the progress that the coaching staff had made with the team. Because it’s a huge distraction.”
The Lakers learned the hard way with Mark Williams how ugly things can get in trade negotiations and Jeanie wanted to avoid leaving any kind of mess for her team. Fortunately, it has paid off for the Lakers, who are winners of eight in their last 10 heading into tonight’s game against the Clippers.
While it may not have been perfectly handled, the Doncic trade and all other subsequent moves have put the Lakers in a better place and set them up for a more prosperous future. They can only hope that a breakthrough will happen soon while LeBron James (40) still has some time left in his basketball career.
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