What the New Ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers Means Going Forward
This year has shown that the Lakers are in a new era. The acquisition of Luka Doncic was shocking enough, but now the legendary Buss Family will no longer own the Lakers. A sale to Mike Walter for $10 billion is close to being completed in what is the largest sale of a sports team ever. Primary owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mike Walter, will usher in a new era where the Lakers will start building the franchise around Luka, not LeBron James. Since 1979, the Buss family has owned the Lakers and made them arguably the most fantastic sports franchise ever. The takeover comes just in time as well for the NBA Draft and Free Agency period.
It's not a coincidence that the Lakers sold their team the same season as the Celtics. The Buss family believes that the Purple and Gold need a drastic change and feels that a newly acquired young superstar like Doncic will provide the fresh start the team needs. Look at all the talent and success the Dodgers have had in the last decade. The success has even drawn envy among other teams in the MLB. The Lakers saw that and realized if there was ever a perfect time for a fresh start to next season, this would be it. Another example to consider going forward is how this correlates with another team owned by a baseball personality, Alex Rodriguez, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves put up a fight and have made the NBA Conference Finals twice in the last couple of seasons. I think the goal is to replicate that immediate success, maybe before LeBron retires, by spending and acquiring the best available players this offseason. If not this season, then in the next few years to come, for the Lakers to develop in every way possible, there needs to be development of a new identity and culture. Along with a young coaching staff, we are beginning to see what the future of the Lakers will shape out to be next season.
From the front office to the fan experience. I don’t think the Buss family would have made this deal if they didn’t want to see everything change or let someone else make the changes. New leadership on all fronts means a win-now mentality that I believe Walter will bring to the franchise. Once again, if we know anything about Walter as an owner, we know he will let spending happen and will want immediate results. It will all start in July, seeing who the Lakers sign to begin forming their new identity on Doncic’s team.
