A majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers has been officially purchased by Mark Walter.
The NBA Board of Governors has unanimously approved Mark Walter’s purchase of a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers.
This is expected to usher in a new era for the Lakers. A time when none other than Luka Doncic was leading the team.
Speaking of the new ownership group, NBA analyst Colin Cowherd believes LeBron James is no longer a priority for the purple and gold.
When James joined the Lakers in 2018, the team was in dire need of a new superstar following the retirement of Kobe Bryant.
Since then, LBJ has filled that role for the Lakers while also winning the 2020 NBA Championship with the team. King also played a key role in driving crowds to Lakers Arena.
However, with the rise of Austin Reeves, Cowherd believes the Lakers’ new owner could move on from LBJ sooner rather than later.
“I was watching Austin Reeves last night and thought, the new owners are not the Bass family, they needed LeBron for six and a half years. He was selling tickets. Before LeBron, it was a mess.”
“I wonder if the new Lakers owners, who have a lot of money and are thinking long-term, are thinking to themselves, ‘Maybe we don’t need LeBron,'” Cowherd said on The Herd.
James is in the final stages of his NBA career, and abruptly cutting ties with him won’t impress the new owners.
- read more: Why Jeff Teague wants LeBron James to miss the playoffs in his final NBA season
There’s no doubting Doncic’s talent, which Reaves is showing right now. James should be the natural third man in the Lakers’ big three. However, Cowherd believes the real person is head coach JJ Redick.
why? Cowherd simply believes Reaves is a younger and cheaper option than James.
“In my opinion, the only two absolute players going forward are Luka and JJ Redick. This is no longer a ‘Big 3’ league, it’s a duo league. But maybe the Lakers are the ‘Big 3’ of Luka, JJ Redick and Austin Reaves.”
“Who are the new owners? They made it clear that JJ Redick and Luka Doncic with the contract extension are the future,” Cowherd continued.
“And Austin Reeves, compared to LeBron, he’s much cheaper, younger, healthier and, let’s be honest, lower maintenance.”
Will the 2025-26 NBA season be the last time fans see James in a Lakers uniform? Well, Cowherd seems to believe in that idea.