The Los Angeles Lakers just got sold for a record $10 billion. But Ric Bucher believes one other NBA team would fetch a higher dollar amount.
The NBA is still reeling from the bombshell news surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers. Jeanie Buss sold the Lakers to Mark Walter for $10 billion, the highest amount in sports history.
This beats the previous record set a few months ago by the Boston Celtics, who were sold for $6.1 billion by the Grousbeck family.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson was thrilled with the sale, speaking on social media about his personal experience with Walter, with whom he is a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This sale reminds fans of just how huge the Lakers’ value is. But one NBA analyst believes there is one team in the league that could set a new record with a potential sale.
Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty ImagesRic Bucher claims New York Knicks more valuable than Los Angeles Lakers
Ric Bucher addressed the Los Angeles Lakers’ sale on Speak! yesterday. He claimed that the New York Knicks would be more valuable in a potential sale.
He then asked questions about the timing of the deal, given the uncertainty surrounding LeBron James’ future with the Lakers and Jeanie Buss’ role on the team.
“New York is more valuable than the Lakers. The value has nothing to do with winning. I’m shocked, we didn’t necessarily see it coming.
“I find the timing kind of interesting. At a time you have to make a really difficult decision on LeBron James, how you are going to say goodbye? When you are going to say goodbye? Does he want another year? It’s just an interesting dynamic there.
“Is Jeanie going to have full voice on how they handle that?”
Rob Pelinka will relish newfound financial power
Heading into the offseason, the new ownership will give Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office a lot of confidence.
As a team just under the first apron, the Lakers don’t have a lot of cap flexibility in terms of signing free agents or pulling off big trades.
But now, with Walter being the new owner, Pelinka will have more leeway to spend big on high-level players.
Both LeBron James and Luka Doncic are excited about the Lakers’ new ownership. While they won’t immediately ignore the salary cap rules due to the strict punitive measures, the Lakers do have a lot more to offer players.
This makes Pelinka’s job of building the Lakers around Doncic a lot easier. There is a lot of excitement in Southern California, and rightfully so.