Luka Welcomes the Newcomers While the Lakers' Owners Fight…

By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Thursday, October 8

Luka Doncic opens his first full season in Los Angeles still welcoming new faces into the locker room, with Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle among them. Off the court, the sale of the franchise itself is now a matter of court filings, not just headlines, as the Lakers host Sacramento for the second time in four days.

Luka Doncic of the Lakers — Luka Doncic. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Dispute Lands in Court

The Los Angeles Times reported that Jeanie Buss' siblings have formally filed to oppose her attempt to block the sale of the Lakers, a filing ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania confirmed the same day, with Lakers Nation's Daniel Starkand framing it as the Buss family's dispute finally landing in a courtroom. The franchise already changed hands twice in the past year, from Mark Walter's $10 billion purchase to Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner's $12.5 billion deal in August, with the Buss family keeping a 15 percent stake. None of it touches tonight's lineup, but it is the loudest story on the beat.

Redick's Report Card

Lakers Nation's Ron Gutterman reported that JJ Redick is doubling down on calling this team a championship contender, days after calling the Lakers' first half of a 124-98 loss at Golden State 'unacceptable,' a game Silver Screen and Roll's Jacob Rude noted was played mostly without regulars. Corey Hansford added that Redick likes how Quentin Grimes, on a $14 million deal, complements Doncic and Reaves, and that he has been impressed by Doncic's conditioning. The praise sits alongside Reaves, who is nursing an ankle issue with a return targeted for tonight.

Luka's Locker Room

Silver Screen and Roll's Jackson Frank reported that Doncic sounds thrilled to have Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams on the roster, both nursing minor issues of their own with returns targeted for tonight, and that Doncic said LeBron James reached out after James left for Philadelphia. Frank also wrote that Jaden Hardy credits Doncic's leadership for raising his own game, while Lakers Nation's Corey Hansford reported that Reaves says a future max contract will not change his mindset, notable given Reaves already ranks as the roster's second-highest-paid player at $41.2 million. Tonight's rematch with Sacramento follows the 127-103 win there to open the preseason.

Why are the Buss siblings suing over the Lakers sale?

The Los Angeles Times and ESPN reported that Jeanie Buss' siblings have formally filed to oppose her attempt to block the sale of the team, the latest step in a dispute tied to the Walter and Iger-Kushner ownership changes of the past year.

Is Austin Reaves getting a max contract?

Lakers Nation reported only that Reaves said a potential max deal would not change his mindset; no extension has been reported, and he is already playing on a $41.2 million salary this season.

By the Lakers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.