It’s a new day in Los Angeles after a record-setting deal worth $10 billion has changed ownership for the Lakers. With Jeanie Buss selling her family’s majority stake in the franchise, CEO billionaire Mark Walter will take over, and it’s a change that’s been welcomed by LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Jeanie was often guilty of surrounding herself with friends and trusted associates over experts in the field, but her worst sin was being frugal with the NBA’s most illustrious franchise. With Buss being one of the poorest majority owners in the league, she often cut corners to escape overwhelming costs, and the result was a team that was run inefficiently.
“Until the Luka Doncic deal in February, when L.A. committed to adding $55,000 in salary, the Lakers hadn’t taken back money in a trade since 2013,” wrote McMenamin on the Lakers’ miserly. “Former assistant GM Ronnie Lester’s contract was not renewed during the NBA lockout in 2011, a financial decision and one of many in a rash of layoffs or nonrenewals. The team applied for federal relief through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 hiatus. After considerable backlash, they later returned the $4.6 million to the government. They were the only NBA team without a representative at the Sloan Analytics Conference in 2013 because they didn’t have much of an analytics department to speak of. While the team has committed more resources recently at the behest of coach JJ Redick, it was an area the Lakers had long lagged behind compared to the rest of the league.”
Despite the Lakers’ status as one of the most successful and popular NBA teams of all time, Jeanie Buss was struggling to keep up with the NBA’s increasingly costly expenses. Compared to other teams, the Lakers don’t have such a fleshed-out analytics department, and they were always looking for ways to save money.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic have nothing against Buss, but they are arguably in better hands with Walter in charge since he has the money to help the Lakers build up their front office and training staff. He can make the Lakers a franchise of luxury with the best staff, coaches, and training centers in the league.
Not only will this help maximize LeBron and Luka’s game (and also their durability), but it will help bring out the most in their teammates, who have looked lost at times throughout the season. Under Walter, the Lakers will have everything they need to build a cohesive roster and empower their players to deliver high-quality basketball to their fans.
If they play their cards right, the Lakers might even return to being title contenders in the West, on par with some of the best teams we’ve seen from the organization. While Jeanie Buss is still expected to run the team for the foreseeable future, Mark Walter will be the one with the final say. Fortunately for the Lakers, he’s the perfect man for the job and rich enough to give them the support they deserve.
