The acquisition of Luka Doncic wasn’t the only sign that the Los Angeles Lakers were entering a new direction. In June, the Buss family announced their deal to sell the team to Mark Walter for a $10 billion valuation. Of course, that would mean Jeanie, along with her brothers, would take a step back in their authority. However, Joey and Jesse couldn’t have predicted what would transpire in November.
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Before addressing what took place on Thursday, it’s important to understand the Buss family timeline. Of course, everything began once Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers back in 1979. The late-great Buss turned the Lakers into one of the biggest shows in sports. Eventually, he raised his children to take the reins of the organization.
In 2013, Buss would ultimately pass away, which meant the team was in full control of his children. Although they were family, that didn’t mean conflict didn’t arise. The first domino to fall was Jim Buss, who was the executive vice president of basketball operations. In 2017, Jeanie would relieve her brother of his responsibilities.
Now, eight years later, Joey and Jesse have suffered the same fate but under a new owner, Mark Walter. Similar to Jim, they weren’t fans of the decision, which they made clear in their public statement.
“We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At times like this, we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all,” Joey and Jesse Buss said, according to Shams Charania.
Neither of them didn’t hold much authority in the franchise but they thrived in their roles as scouts. The one who had the power was their sister, Jeanie. This outcome could’ve been avoided if she hadn’t chosen to sell the team. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noticed the slight shot from the brothers to their sister in their subtle statement.
“That last sentence is a broadside at their sister in my view,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective. “Quite frankly, the only person that can fire a Buss is a Buss. While I’m sure the owner gave his blessing for this, the governor is still Jeanie. This was a Buss on Buss crime.”
Windhorst doesn’t know exactly who was in charge of this decision, but his intuition points toward Jeanie. Looking through business lens, it makes sense for a new slate. However, this move may be a bit reckless, considering it is not ideal to relieve two scouts during the most important time for scouting.
“If you’re going to fire the two guys who are heads of the scouting department, you’re going to fire their staff because they’re going to be loyal to them. What is unusual is to run your scouting staff out at the end of November because this is scouting season. And they actually have their draft pick this year,” Windhorst said.
This is an incredibly bold move by the Lakers, which could prove to be extremely poor if they miss on their upcoming draft selection. Regardless, this is a move which sets up their future. We inch a step closer to a time when the Buss family is no longer the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes for the Lakers.
