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Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka's future in jeopardy after $12.5B record-breaking deal originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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The Los Angeles Lakers have had a strong summer in terms of adding players they wanted to the roster. It has been a successful offseason for the organization as it enters the Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves era.
However, Wednesday morning brought a major shock. Mark Walter sold the Lakers in a record-breaking deal.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion, a record-breaking price, multiple sources told ESPN. The businessmen were involved in the expansion process in Las Vegas, but in a stunning turn, they pivoted to make an aggressive offer to buy the Lakers from Mark Walter, who purchased a controlling interest in the team from the Buss family last year for a then-record franchise valuation of approximately $10 billion,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne wrote.
For Doncic, this is nothing new, as it will mark the fifth time he has played under a new majority ownership group during his career.
“This means Luka will have played for five different majority NBA owners once the deal closes. He is entering his ninth season,” The Athletic’s Christian Clark wrote.
With new ownership often comes change, and one person who could potentially be on his way out is Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
“A new ownership group will typically want to leave their mark on a franchise. For the front office, that often means installing decision-makers they believe in. That is where Pelinka could feel the pressure. The current team president is a Jeanie Buss guy. His continued promotion up the ranks within the organization has largely been tied to her presence. If Kushner and Iger intend to make an immediate impact, and put their own people in key decision-making roles, that could involve sacking Pelinka for someone they have more faith in,” Lake Show Life’s Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote.
Pelinka has been with the Lakers for nine years, and the arrival of new ownership could create an opportunity for change. There have been some questionable decisions during his tenure, and the new ownership group could potentially want a fresh face in the front office.
That would add another major change to a summer already filled with them for the Lakers. The franchise has an almost entirely new starting lineup and now new ownership.
Pelinka will have all eyes on him over the next couple of weeks as the Lakers begin this new era both on and off the court.
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