Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka was “empowered” to continue running the front office under team owner Mark Walter, but it remains to be seen whether his job will remain safe under incoming co-owners Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
One agent who spoke to McMenamin suggested that Iger’s comments about keeping Jeanie Buss in her governor role bode well for Pelinka, telling ESPN, “As long as Jeanie’s in a good position, I think Rob is in a good position.” However, a second agent noted that Iger’s commitment to Buss came with a caveat (“If things change, they’ll change”) and suggested that the success or Pelinka’s recent roster overhaul could go a long way toward determining whether he’ll continue to lead the front office over the long term.
“I am curious to see how it goes the next six months,” that second agent told ESPN. “You assume Rob has six months to see how the season goes.”
Discussing how the front office might change under Kushner and Iger, multiple sources who spoke to McMenamin identified recently retired point guard Chris Paul as someone to keep an eye on for a potential role. Paul and Iger became close when the latter was a Clippers season ticket-holder, according to McMenamin, who adds that Iger hosted a book launch for CP3 in 2023 and Paul helped Iger clear out his Disney office earlier this year.
Here’s more on the Lakers sale:
Luka Doncic wasn’t consulted about the sale before word of the agreement broke, but he put out a statement in support of the new co-owners and plans to have a video call with Kushner and Iger from Slovenia next week, sources tell McMenamin.
While news of Iger’s investment in the Lakers came as a surprise to many league figures, including agents with clients on the Lakers’ roster, McMenamin points out that the former Disney CEO has worked closely with NBA commissioner Adam Silver many times in the past. Disney (ABC/ESPN) has been one of the league’s television partners for years, and the NBA finished its 2019/20 season at Disney World in Orlando during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Bob and Adam are close,” a league office source told ESPN. “They’re not just business close. They’re vacation-together close.”
Asked by McMenamin if the change in ownership would’ve had an impact on LeBron James‘ decision to leave the Lakers if it had happened a couple months earlier, a source close to the star forward replied, “Maybe. But that’s tough to answer. Communication could have been better (with Iger and Kushner, compared to with Walter). Just a different relationship. But the basketball piece was the most important, so maybe not from that standpoint.”
One reason why Kushner, Iger, and Walter were able to reach a deal in mere days, per Jacob Feldman, Eben Novy-Williams, and Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, is because it has become increasingly common for the buyer and seller of a franchise to agree on a price and then for the buyer to figure out financing from there, rather than vice versa. The working assumption, according to Sportico’s trio, is that Kushner’s and Iger’s purchase of the franchise will be backstopped by Thrive (Kushner’s venture capital firm) and that the duo will recruit a group of investors whom the NBA will approve to help cover the rest of the cost. That group figures to be made up of wealthy individuals and institutional funds, with some celebrities “mixed in.”
Walter may be in no rush to finalize the sale of the Lakers, writes Michael McCann of Sportico, noting that the Dodgers owner would save an estimated $425MM in taxes if the team changes hands at least one year after Walter originally assumed majority control in late October 2025.