Lakers terminate much of scouting staff along with Buss brothers

The Lakers are shaking up their front office in a major way.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported Thursday that a large portion of the team’s scouting department has been terminated, part of the sweeping organizational overhaul under new majority owner Mark Walter.

The news landed on the same day Joey and Jesse Buss confirmed they have been fired from the franchise after 20 years with the organization that their late father, Jerry Buss, once ran with a steady hand and a championship touch.

Joey served as the team’s alternate governor and vice president of research and development. Jesse was an assistant general manager and long regarded as one of the NBA’s sharper scouting voices.

Both expressed disappointment with how their exits unfolded.

“We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons,” they said in a statement to ESPN. “Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team.

“At times like this we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all.”

This wave of terminations follows Walter’s June agreement to buy a majority stake in the franchise at a $10 billion valuation, the highest ever for a U.S. professional sports team. The NBA approved the sale last month.

Jeanie Buss will remain the team’s governor for at least the next five years, and Joey and Jesse will retain their minority stakes.

The Buss brothers had been central figures in scouting for the last decade. Joey also ran the G League’s South Bay Lakers as president and CEO.

Their departures and the broader scouting cuts mark the most dramatic front-office shifts the team has seen in years.