The Los Angeles Lakers are undergoing a significant transformation in their front office under new majority owner Mark Walter. The recent firing of Jeanie Buss’s brothers has signaled the start of a new era for the team, raising questions about the future roles of current decision-makers Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka. This uncertainty has been heightened by Walter’s move to bring in executives from his championship-winning baseball organization.

Walter’s first major decision was to fire Joey and Jesse Buss from their positions in the front office, along with much of the team’s scouting department. Joey Buss held the titles of alternate governor and vice president of research and development, while Jesse Buss served as the assistant general manager and director of scouting. Their removal marks a significant departure from the Buss family’s decades-long involvement in basketball operations.

The situation further escalated when Jesse Buss gave an eye-opening interview to The Athletic, revealing deep fractures within the organization. He stated, “I haven’t spoken to either of them in … five months,” referring to his complete lack of communication with both his sister Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka. He expressed that he felt “like an enemy” within the organization and noted that he learned about team decisions through media reports rather than internal communication.

Now, Walter has increased the pressure by bringing in two of his most trusted executives from the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and special adviser Farhan Zaidi have taken on advisory roles with the Lakers. This move places two of baseball’s most respected minds in positions to influence basketball decisions, creating an interesting dynamic with the current leadership.

A Family Divide and a New Structure

The hiring of Friedman and Zaidi comes amidst surprising revelations about the Lakers’ internal operations. Jesse Buss stated that their father, Dr. Jerry Buss, originally intended for him and his brother Joey to eventually oversee basketball operations. He candidly described the current situation by saying, “She’s fired everyone,” referring to Jeanie Buss’s past conflicts with their brothers, Jim and Johnny Buss. This scenario illustrates the tension between family legacy and the new ownership’s vision.

Under the new structure, Zaidi is acting as Walter’s primary representative during this transition period, utilizing his well-known expertise in analytics. Meanwhile, Friedman, who has helped the Dodgers win three of the past six World Series, is directly consulting with Rob Pelinka. Both executives are serving as senior executives of TWG Sports, the entity Walter established to oversee all his sports holdings, which now include the Lakers, Dodgers, and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.

Despite the turmoil, Jeanie Buss remains the Lakers’ governor, a role protected for at least five years under the terms of the franchise’s $10 billion sale. However, with Walter now making sweeping changes and installing his own trusted advisors from a championship pedigree, her authority and Pelinka’s decision-making power face their most significant test yet. The arrival of Friedman and Zaidi places experienced, successful executives directly into the Lakers’ orbit, setting the stage for a potentially transformative period for the franchise.