Lakers insider highlights key difference in Jeanie Buss’ role in running Lakers from Mark Cuban’s responsibilities with Mavericks

This week, Jeanie Buss reportedly agreed to sell her majority stake in the LA Lakers to Dodgers owner Mark Walter. According to ESPN, the Buss family will hold onto a minority stake of 15%, with Buss retaining a strong presence in the team’s front office.

Considering fans saw the Dallas Mavericks go in an entirely different direction after Mark Cuban shifted to a minority owner role, fans have been wondering if it will be the same with Buss.

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Buss has her role in writing, whereas Cuban was in an informal role, and essentially at the mercy of the team’s new owners.

“I think Jeanie Buss understands the Laker brand better than anybody," Shelburne said. "I think he sees how important she is in running and keeping that brand alive, and also how she runs the business, runs the franchise.

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"Mark Cuban did not get his role in writing. Jeanie Buss is in writing—that’s part of the deal. So she’s staying on for the foreseeable future to run the team.”

Looking at the season ahead for the LA Lakers amid news of the franchise's sale

While the Lakers are preparing to undergo a transition that will see the team change ownership for the first time since 1979, when Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the team, the season ahead is shaping up to be a big one.

Last year, prior to the trade deadline, the team acquired Luka Doncic in a blockbuster deal that set the team up for years to come.

Despite that, with a lack of frontcourt depth and no true rim protector, LA wound up getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Now, with the NBA draft and the start of free agency rapidly approaching, it's no secret the team is looking to acquire players to round out their frontcourt.

Considering the team doesn't have a first-round pick in this year's draft, the expectation is that we'll see LA trade for a starting center, with players like Nic Claxton, Daniel Gafford, Walker Kessler and Robert Williams all on their radar.

Additionally, according to BasketNews, the team is also monitoring Clint Capela's status in Atlanta and Brook Lopez's status in Milwaukee.

While it's unclear what direction the team will go, the season ahead is shaping up to be a big one for the LA Lakers.

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About the author

Evan Bell

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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