The LA Lakers are already making moves for their next era, even though their incoming owner has not yet received the league’s final approval. The franchise has added a longtime Miami Heat executive to its front office, creating an intriguing connection to Josh Kushner, whose path to the Lakers is complicated by an existing stake in Miami. Before the ownership transition becomes official, both pieces of the puzzle must fall into place.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers are hiring Eric Amsler as an assistant general manager. 

Amsler spent more than 22 years with the Heat, beginning as an intern before working his way through scouting, personnel, and G League roles, and eventually becoming Miami’s vice president of player personnel.

He will join Rohan Ramadas as an assistant GM under Lakers president Rob Pelinka. It will strengthen a front office that has been expanding its personnel operations.

Amsler’s long tenure in Miami makes the move notable on its own. He has experienced the organization from multiple levels. His arrival gives LA an executive with extensive exposure to scouting, player evaluation, and personnel decisions. It also adds another experienced voice to the basketball operation as the Lakers prepare for a significant ownership change.

That change centers on Kushner and Bob Iger, who are set to purchase the Lakers in a reported $12.5 billion agreement. But Lakers reporter Dan Woike highlighted an unusual complication. 

Josh Kushner is also a minority owner of the Heat.

Woike noted that Kushner owns a 5% stake in Miami and will have to divest that interest before he can purchase the Lakers.

The issue creates an obvious logistical hurdle. Kushner cannot simply move from one ownership group to another while retaining equity in both NBA franchises.

Finding a replacement for that 5% stake could take time. The Heat will need to identify and approve someone to absorb Kushner’s share. It means the ownership transition involves more than completing the larger purchase agreement.

Kushner’s Lakers Future Still Depends on League Approval

While the Lakers’ front office is already moving forward with strategic hires like Amsler, the broader transition of power remains at a standstill. Kushner cannot officially become the Governor of the Lakers until the transaction receives the formal stamp of approval from the NBA Board of Governors.

Crucially, this approval is entirely conditional upon his exit from his previous franchise.

The league will not greenlight the transition until Kushner officially completes the divestment of his Heat equity. Meanwhile, current Governor Jeanie Buss is locked in a legal battle with her siblings over control of the Lakers. In short, she remains the franchise’s current governor as the ownership transition plays out.

The league’s vetting process for a multi- billion-dollar franchise sale is rigorous. 

The Board of Governors, which consists of representatives from all 30 NBA teams, must review the financial structures, backgrounds, and legal frameworks of the incoming ownership group. For a historic $12.5 billion acquisition, the scrutiny will be immense.

The board must ensure that the capital structure is sound. All incoming partners must meet league standards, and no dual ownership conflicts remain.

This multi-million-dollar timeline explains why current Lakers president Rob Pelinka remains the one making these front-office hires. Kushner and Iger cannot legally make official personnel decisions or command the Lakers’ front office until the board casts its official vote.

Once the league legally confirms Kushner’s divestment, the sale officially closes.

While Amsler’s hiring may align with the kind of organizational structure Kushner would support, the move technically remains part of Pelinka’s current basketball operation. The Lakers are already preparing for the Kushner-Iger era. But the keys to the franchise will remain with the existing ownership structure.