After $10B Sale, Lakers Remove Buss Brothers

The sale of the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation has already produced change: Joey and Jesse Buss were removed from front-office roles in a basketball-operations reorganization, though they “will still maintain their minority ownership shares.” The brothers released a statement saying, “We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons,” and lamented that “we wish things could be different with the way our time ended.” This matters because the Buss family long shaped Lakers decision-making, and their exit from daily operations signals a new power center for Los Angeles. Merlin sees new owners clearing space to install their own decision-makers — expect outside hires, a tightening of front-office authority, and a sharper results-driven culture. The court won’t change overnight, but the roster and cap strategy could follow quickly as new stewards stamp their mark.