How did James and Doncic react to Jenny Bass selling the Lakers

According to Chaitanya Dadwar, an analyst at US sports media F/W. Jenny Buss has agreed to sell the Lakers’ majority stake to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter at a record $10 billion valuation. After Jenny Bass and her siblings took over from their father who died in 2013, they unanimously decided to have Walter buy the property their father passed on to them in the form of a consortium. After the news came out, ESPN insider McMenaming revealed James and Doncic's reaction to hearing the news during a SportsCenter live broadcast.

"When talking to people who have close ties with Doncic and James, people are excited about the move because of what it means for this team. Obviously, having someone like Mark Walter doesn't mean the salary cap will disappear. There is a new collective bargaining agreement that takes penalties for overspending teams. When you get close to the second luxury tax line, you lose the draft pick, you can't trade and total salary, etc. But what you can do is increase the extra spend on your scout department, analytics department, health and wellness staff, etc., to make it a more attractive environment, not just the 72 degrees and sunny weather we have in Southern California."

While Mark Walter's arrival doesn't mean that the Lakers can now exceed the rules allowed by the league and ignore the salary cap. But that does mean he can spend more on facilities that can make the Lakers better. But it is worth noting that considering that the Lakers do not own Staples Arena, this $10 billion valuation is entirely based on the team’s brand value and history. Otherwise, it would be difficult to justify a jump from the highest valuation before the NBA team (Boston Celtics, $6.1 billion). Will this change of ownership affect James' contract decision?

While Jenny Buss may have sold most of her ownership stake in the team, she is expected to remain on the team's board. To be a director of an NBA team, a person must represent at least 15% of the ownership stake, which is the expected ownership stake that the Bass family will retain. So, in fact, there will be no change in the daily activities of the team. According to ESPN's McMenaming, the change in ownership will not affect James's player options decision, which will wait until the end of this month.

"I was told that one of the guys that had nothing to do with his decision to stay with the Lakers was James. He still made the decision at the end of the month to decide whether to choose to join a contract worth about $56 million next year or to opt out and become a free agent. This decision has nothing to do with where LeBron will go next year. Then again, so far, we have no indication that LeBron James won't return to the Lakers next season."

While most people don't expect LeBron James to cut the Lakers again, he needs to do that if he wants the Lakers to sign some top talent as a free agent. Their previous playoff performance exposed several loopholes in the Lakers roster, which they needed to fill. Will James make the final sacrifice for the Lakers, or will he ensure his future?