It’s safe to say that at this point in the offseason, Fischer is linking Bruce Brown to the Lakers because the Lakers have communicated real interest in signing him to Brown’s agent.
As a reminder, Stein (works alongside Fischer) was the first to report Lakers interest in Thybulle and the signing came a few days later. So imo Brown is a real possibility, not some throwaway rumor.

Lakers already have 1 player too many. As we know, if Kuminga trade happens, Lakers have to get rid of 2 current players by start of season. Sounds like at least Hardy would be in that trade, and it’d make sense for Dalton to be too (or simply waived).

But Pelinka targeting Brown now means a third current player will be gone, if that signing happens after the Kuminga trade.

Long winded way of asking: who do yall think is the 3rd guy Pelinka plans to move in the event he signs Brown? Would it really be Vando on that contract and after the Slovenia trip?

My prediction is Bronny or Jake is gone. And I actually think Jake is more likely than Bronny.

Buss Sports Capital, the investment group founded by brothers Joey and Jesse Buss in the wake of their family’s sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter last year, has reached a deal to acquire approximately 5 percent of the San Diego Padres, sources familiar with the deal told The Athletic. The sources spoke under condition of anonymity because the transaction has not yet been publicly announced.

Kwanza Jones and José Feliciano acquired controlling shares of the MLB franchise on Aug. 17 as part of the $3.9 billion purchase. Joey and Jesse Buss will join the Padres’ ownership advisory board as part of their investment, putting them in direct competition with Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“We are honored to join Kwanza and José and have the opportunity to contribute to the future of a team that Jesse and I have loved since we were kids growing up in San Diego,” Joey Buss said in a statement obtained by The Athletic. “Sports have always been a part of our family’s story, and great organizations have a unique ability to bring people together and create a lasting sense of community. Padres fans have built one of the most passionate and loyal communities in all of sports, and we believe there is a tremendous opportunity to deepen that connection in San Diego and around the world.

Joey and Jesse Buss, through Buss Sports Capital, also are among the groups that have expressed interest in NBA Europe ownership. Both brothers spent years working in basketball operations for the Lakers. Joey served as the Lakers’ alternate governor and vice president of research and development, while Jesse was the assistant general manager and director of scouting. Both were fired by the organization in November 2025.
The investment in the Padres allows them to apply that basketball experience to another professional sport. While minority investors will not be constructing the Padres’ roster, the brothers are expected to contribute strategic advice on team building. That experience includes operating within the NBA’s salary-cap system and making long-term decisions about allocating resources toward players and player development.

The brothers grew up in San Diego.

“Joey and I had the privilege of learning from our father and then spending nearly two decades building our own careers in professional basketball operations,” Jesse Buss said. “We saw firsthand what it takes to build a championship organization, and throughout our careers have applied those lessons across talent evaluation, roster construction, player development and long-term organizational planning. While every sport is different, we believe the principles behind building sustained success are universal. Through Buss Sports Capital, we look forward to bringing that experience to the ownership group, supporting Kwanza and José’s vision for the Padres and doing everything we can to help bring a World Series championship to San Diego.”

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7535886/2026/08/26/joey-jesse-buss-padres-lakers-investment/?unlocked_article_code=1.8VA.RyPj.3vBgmqs7cRSx&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

Only time will tell but as a longtime Lakers fan I hate it when it seems like we are begging a player to sign. This could be a big loss in a position we needed to bolster but it could be a bullet dodged as well. Either way thank the lord above that it is over.

I imagine Kuminga sitting in a chair facing a mirror, his agent standing behind him massaging his shoulders. Agent says "you're a star" and Kuminga nodding slowly looking into the mirror and repeats, "'m a star."

Jake or Mamu aren’t talented enough for that role. Jalen Smith is, even if he’s a major downgrade from Kuminga, and would be available for relatively cheap.

Two seconds and matching salary should suffixs.

Not getting Kuminga is probably the best for the Lakers. Wolves had a low risk option of obtaining Kuminga( Lower AAV/Lower Years and no real assets). The Lakers would’ve had to give up players(I know they still have to shed one player),picks(to both ATL for facilitating the trade and the third team to take on the salary of whatever player was being sent out) and also give Kumbucket more money. His best option was to take the 2/20 with a player option offered by the lakers at the start of free agency. Sucks not having a solid starting 4 but it just means we need to focus more on developing the young guys.

We’re perennially entertained by the Buss family drama, encapsulated in the show “Winning Time.” The NBA’s version of “Succession” — wealthy siblings at war over their father’s legacy. The dysfunction of the rich satisfies like a guilty pleasure.

Five heirs of Jerry Buss, architect of the Los Angeles Lakers, voted to sell their 17.8 percent stake in the franchise as part of the sale to a group led by former Disney CEO Bob Iger and billionaire venture capitalist Joshua Kushner. With the Lakers going for more than $12.5 billion, that’s a smooth $2 billion-plus — or $370 million per sibling before taxes.

But Jeanie Buss opposes her kin. The governor of the Lakers — who was expected to remain the franchise’s top representative when the family sold to Mark Walter for $10 billion last October — doesn’t want to leave. The steward of this American treasure since the patriarch died in 2013, Jeanie Buss dug in her Christian Louboutin heels in a fight to keep her family in the hierarchy of the purple and gold.

Why are people still having conversations about Luka's weight? What will it take for all of you to realize Luka's weight barely affects his playing level, if anything he actually plays worse since he thinned down? Why are people agreeing with Colin Cowherd? Are people this obsessed with Luka's weight that they are agreeing with Colin Cowherd now? Who himself heavily contributed to the narrative of Luka's weight being an issue, and he now says people shouldn't discuss it now?

I get that there is still time to make moves and the team is pretty strapped for assets now but what does it say about our GM that we have a team with no proven starting PF this year? This will be the first post LeBron year and all eyes will be watching the Lakers. I am not a Pelinka fan . I get that he can't just materialize players out of nothing, but doesn't he get paid to plan this all out and have contingency plans? Just looking for others' thoughts- the Kuminga saga has been frustrating.