The Lakers’ front office appears to have at least one steady hand still in place as the franchise moves through another ownership shift.
After Mark Walter installed Lon Rosen as Tim Harris’ replacement as president of business operations, there were plenty of questions about how much of that structure would survive once Walter sold his majority stake to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. But according to Dan Woike of The Athletic, Rosen still looks set to hold a major role with the team even after the sale.
That doesn’t mean everything is settled. The Lakers’ operations could look very different in the coming months, or even after the 2026-27 NBA season, depending on how the new ownership group shapes things. And with so many changes already hitting the organization over the past year, another regime change naturally leaves employees on edge.
Still, Woike reported that there is optimism inside the organization about the direction of the franchise.
There are also bigger ownership questions hanging over the team. The Buss family wants to sell its remaining 17.8% stake, while Jeanie Buss is pushing back, setting up a legal fight that could drag on for a while.
While all of that plays out, Luka Doncic is trying to give the new-look roster something useful right now: time together. Doncic put together a minicamp in Slovenia and paid for his Lakers teammates to make the trip, where they took part in a range of activities that included on-court work.
“Roll the tape - fellas are hoopin’ in Slovenia 🎥” pic.twitter.com/dXgUBzpuy9
The Lakers shared photos and videos from the trip, and the message coming out of it was pretty simple: the group looked comfortable and connected.
The team’s preseason schedule begins Oct. 5, when the Lakers head north to face the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center.
In Other News...
Bulls Linked To Intriguing Role In Proposed Lakers Mavs Trade
The Lakers search for frontcourt help has already been nudged in a different direction after Jonathan Kuminga opted for Minnesota, and that has kept attention on other ways to reshape the roster. One idea floating around league circles comes from NBA insider Jake Weinbach, who laid out a three-team framework with Los Angeles landing P.J. Washington from Dallas, a player whose size and versatility would fit a need the Lakers have been trying to address.
In Weinbachs proposal, the Lakers would send Jaden Hardy, Adou Thiero and future draft pick swaps to the Mavericks, while Chicago would step in as the third team and take Jake LaRavia. It is an interesting setup because the Bulls involvement could help make the deal workable for both sides, but the real question for the Lakers is whether the price and the moving parts line up with their urgency to keep adding usable rotation pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Miss On Jonathan Kuminga For A Reason Fans Will Hate
Jonathan Kumingas free-agency choice left the Lakers searching for an answer they could not quite sell. He signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves that includes a player option, turning down interest from Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland after weighing a longer Lakers offer that would have put him in a starting role.
For the Lakers, the frustrating part is not just losing out on a young, talented wing. Kumingas agent, Aaron Turner, said the decision came down to comfort and belief in the organization, with Minnesota presenting the kind of alignment he wanted across ownership, the front office, the coach and the franchise player. Los Angeles could offer opportunity, but in the end the Timberwolves offered something harder to package: a developmental setting and a sense of fit he trusted. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Face A Risky Lakers Decision With Veteran Big Man
Brook Lopez is the kind of veteran big man who can still change the shape of a roster, which is why any idea involving him tends to draw immediate attention. In the speculative trade scenario floating around, the Lakers would land Lopez while sending out Jaden Hardy and a 2031 second-round pick, a modest price on paper for a player whose value comes from spacing, rim protection and the sort of steady presence that can fit cleanly next to Luka Doncic.
For the Lakers, the appeal is obvious: Lopez would bring a different look to the frontcourt and give Doncic another dependable option in the half court. For the Clippers, though, the decision would be riskier, since moving a veteran center with that skill set is never just about the return package, it is also about what gets left behind in the middle of the rotation and whether the front office is comfortable reshaping that position again. [Read more 🡒]