The Los Angeles Lakers are knee-deep in absolute chaos this offseason. From a humiliating playoff exit to the endless LeBron James drama, nothing’s stayed quiet in Lakerland. And General Manager Rob Pelinka is right at the center of it. With the Buss family shifting power toward billionaire Mark Walter behind the scenes, Pelinka has a lot on his plate. The front office reshuffle exposed the pressure mounting inside Staples Center’s executive suite. And just when fans thought the madness had peaked, another major headline dropped involving Jeanie Buss.

Last month, the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to TWG Global CEO Mark Walter. At the time, both sides confirmed that Jeanie Buss was to remain the franchise governor despite the ownership shift. While financial details stayed under wraps, early reports valued the deal at a staggering $10 billion. The figure marked the largest sale ever for a professional sports franchise, putting the 17-time NBA champions in a league of their own. Now, however, an update regarding Jeanie Buss has officially surfaced.

The Buss family has run the Los Angeles Lakers since Dr. Jerry Buss took control in 1979. He built the franchise into a global sports powerhouse, setting the blueprint for what a modern, successful team should look like. Under his leadership, the Lakers didn’t just win titles; they became a brand. Now, for the first time in 45 years, the franchise is preparing for a change at the top. Current owner Jeanie Buss has agreed to sell the team to Mark Walter. However, that doesn’t mean she’s stepping aside.

In the latest chapter of the Lakers’ ownership saga, a fresh update just dropped on X (formerly Twitter). NBACentral reported, “Jeanie Buss is expected to remain the Lakers’ governor for the next five years, per  @sam_amick”. The post elaborated on the terms of the blockbuster $10 billion deal between the Buss family and Dodgers owner Mark Walter. It said, “Let’s start with the Lakers, who were sold for a whopping $10 billion valuation to Dodgers owner/Lakers minority owner Mark Walterers recently, but will still be run by longtime owner Jeanie Buss for quite some time to come. Per a team source, Buss’ agreement with Walter and the NBA stipulates that she’ll remain the team’s governor for at least the next five seasons.”

That means while the financial reins shift to Walter, day-to-day control and franchise decisions stay firmly in Jeanie’s hands through 2030. But that stability might spell trouble for Rob Pelinka. It’s been an eventful eight-year run for the Lakers’ general manager. Pelinka won Jeanie Buss’ trust and landed LeBron James in free agency back in 2018. And even delivered an NBA championship inside the 2020 bubble. On paper, those are career-defining moves. But in the unpredictable and fragile world of professional basketball, past wins rarely guarantee job security. Because even with that lone championship, there’s a growing sense the Lakers have underachieved during Pelinka’s eight-year tenure. The front office has felt too impulsive, cycling through players, coaches, and strategies without a steady direction. 

Consider this: the Lakers have had four head coaches in the past seven seasons. For a franchise with LeBron James on the roster most of those years, the results are underwhelming. Three first-round playoff exits and a single conference finals appearance aren’t the standard in L.A. Now, with a major power shift in ownership and coaching changes failing to steady the ship, attention naturally turns to Rob Pelinka. In a results-driven league where loyalty fades fast, Pelinka could very well be the next name on the chopping block.

However, this is pure speculation for now. Everything stays in the dark until Jeanie Buss officially addresses the situation. That said, she hasn’t stayed entirely silent, especially about the power handover situation.

Jeanie Buss opens up about passing front office control to Dodgers owner Mark Walter.

Historically, Jeanie Buss has never shied away from making bold moves. Since becoming the Lakers’ governor in 2013 (following Dr. Jerry Buss’ passing), she made headlines in 2017 by firing then-GM Mitch Kupchak and her brother Jim Buss, replacing them with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. Now, she’s orchestrating another major front office shakeup — this time involving Dodgers owner Mark Walter — as she opens doors to a new era of power dynamics within the Lakers organization.

“I have gotten to know Mark very well over time and have been delighted to learn how he shares those same values,” states Buss, “For the last four years, Mark has been an excellent partner to us, and we are thrilled to keep working with him to continue the Lakers’ extraordinary legacy.” 

With the deal nearly finalized and both sides aligned on terms, winds of change are officially blowing through the Lakers’ front office. And make no mistake: shifts at the top eventually ripple down to the locker room. Questions are rising about what this means for Rob Pelinka’s long-term role, LeBron James’s and Rich Paul’s influences, for how coaching and roster decisions will be handled moving forward. For a franchise built on legacy and star power, this shakeup could redefine who really holds the reins in L.A.