When Lon Rosen was hired by the Lakers, it was one of the clearest signs of the collaboration between Mark Walter’s LA-based franchises.
Rosen was Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for over 10 years with the Dodgers before crossing the bridge to become the Lakers’ President of Business Operations. It was one of the marquee moves signaling the joint approach the two front offices would take moving forward.
It was fair, then, to wonder what the future looked like for Rosen and other
Dodgers-turned-Lakers front office staff when it was announced Walter would be selling the team. That’s a question that likely won’t have a complete answer for some time, but Dan Woike of The Athletic did provide a glimpse into how the front office is operating before the sale is finalized.
In the time since Bob Iger and Josh Kushner agreed to purchase control of the Lakers at a $12.5 billion valuation, not much has changed fundamentally inside the Lakers’ walls. Rosen, according to sources, is still heavily involved in meetings.
After the sale, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported that the “Dodgerizing” of the front office would continue. While that could be seen as further hiring, it could also be someone like Rosen still implementing things from the Dodgers.
There’s going to be multiple months before the sale is final and only then will clarity start to come. For now, it’ll be business as usual.
At the same time, don’t be surprised if some of the recent hirings over the last year start to move back to the Dodgers as well.
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