Much like the rest of us, those in the Lakers organization were shocked by the news of the team being sold by the Buss family.
The bar on stunning Lakers news was set nearly unreachably high in February when the team pulled off a shock trade for Luka Dončić.
Only nearly, though.
Reports of the Buss family selling the team to Mark Walter, at worst, matched the shock of the Luka deal last week. Not only was there no indication that the team was looking to sell, but the final figure the team was valued at was a stunning $10 billion.
It was as stunning a move as one could possibly imagine, and not just for fans but those inside the organization as well. On Tuesday, Dan Woike of The Athletic reported that even those within the franchise didn’t see this sale coming.
Let’s get right into the question I’ve been asked most since Jeanie Buss shockingly agreed to sell the Lakers at a $10 billion evaluation to Walter and his partners. And to be clear, people are shocked, including sources inside the organization and inside the NBA, people who thought this day could eventually come but who didn’t think it would happen so quickly.
Clearly, the Lakers front office has done a stellar job of insulating itself from any leaks. If it wasn’t clear when the team pulled off a shock trade for Luka, it’s very apparent now. While the front office didn’t have to necessarily know the team was being sold, considering how small the circle of trust is for Jeanie Buss, it’s wouldn’t be a surprise if they knew and never leaked.
In reality, one of the traits of this front office, even predating the Luka trade, was how little they leaked. It’ll be interesting to see if that’s a characteristic that’ll carry over into the new ownership under Walter.
As great of a trait it may be — and it’s a very good one — it’s one that has led to some truly shocking Shams notifications in 2025.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.