Despite weeks passing since Jeanie Buss consented to sell a majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter, her future with the team remains unclear.

Reports have differing views on how much longer Buss will serve as the team’s governor. According to The Athletic, the Buss family’s agreement mandates that Jeanie will hold this role for at least five more years. Conversely, another source, Front Office Sports, claims that her term could potentially end in 2030.

In June, when the news broke about the Buss family selling the Lakers to Walter, it was mentioned that she would continue with the organization as its governor, though the duration was never specified.

Walter’s choice to retain Buss in her current capacity after the purchase is not a common occurrence; there have been varied outcomes in similar past agreements. For instance, after Mark Cuban sold his majority share of the Dallas Mavericks in 2023, he briefly held the governor position before Patrick Dumont took over by the end of the 2023-24 season. A comparable agreement exists with the Boston Celtics, allowing outgoing owner Wyc Grousbeck to remain as governor until 2028.

However, unlike those cases, Walter and the Buss family have an established working history. He joined forces with Todd Boehly in 2021 to acquire a 27% stake in the Lakers, giving him first rights to purchase the team should the Buss family decide to sell.

Walter’s recent agreement to buy the Lakers was valued at a record-breaking $10 billion, marking it as the highest price paid for a team in sports history. He has also been part of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ ownership group since 2012 and jointly owns Andretti Global along with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.

Since Walter’s acquisition discussions in June, various developments have surfaced regarding the Lakers. In particular, LeBron James’s future with the team appears less certain than Buss’ own. Even though James opted for his $52 million player option for the 2025-26 season in June, his agent, Rich Paul, mentioned during that announcement that James would be ‘monitoring’ the organization’s actions during the offseason.

This remark has ignited ongoing trade rumors regarding James. As his representation urged the Lakers to make strategic moves to enhance their chances of winning the championship in 2025-26, the main focus was securing newly acquired Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton through a one-year contract. They also signed former Sacramento Kings player Jake LaRavia and re-signed center Jaxson Hayes, although they lost forward Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets during free agency.

Furthermore, Luka Doncic, who the Lakers traded for in February, is also eligible for an extension this offseason. While it remains uncertain if Doncic will accept an extension when eligible on August 2, he expressed support for both Buss and Walter following the Lakers’ sale announcement in June.

“The Lakers are an amazing organization,” Doncic stated in a social media post. “I’m looking forward to meeting Mark and excited about the future. I am also grateful to Jeanie and the Buss family for welcoming me to LA, and I’m happy that Jeanie will continue to be involved. I look forward to working with both of them to win championships!”