LOS ANGELES — It’s been a busy month for Lakers governor Jeanie Buss.
Just 3½ weeks after the Lakers shockingly traded for 26-year-old Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic, the new 10-episode Netflix comedy series “Running Point,” which is inspired by Buss’ life and includes her as an executive producer, debuted on Thursday.
“Everyone thinks: was this trade done to promote the show?,” Buss quipped to a small group of reporters on Thursday before the Lakers’ 111-102 home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. “I don’t think so.”
Isla Gordon, the character that is based on Buss, is played by Kate Hudson.
While speaking with reporters to promote the new show, Buss acknowledged the importance of keeping the trade discussions between the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, the franchise Doncic spent the first 6½ seasons of his NBA career with, tight-lipped.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison started the trade conversations with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka on Jan. 7 at a local Dallas coffee shop ahead of their teams’ matchup at American Airlines Center later that evening.
And 3½ weeks later, Doncic was traded to the Lakers, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, with Anthony Davis and Max Christie going to the Mavericks as part of a three-team deal with the Utah Jazz that stunned the entire NBA the night of Feb 1.
“I mean, not until Rob told me it was done and they had made the trade call,” Buss said when asked when she knew the trade was actually going to happen. “Because these things fall apart all the time. It was really important to me that we didn’t blow up the team. If it had leaked out and the trade hadn’t happened, that would be really unfair to the progress that the coaching staff had made with the team. Because it’s a huge distraction.
“And the trade deadline is part of the business. It increases the level of stress for everybody. And I’m really proud that it didn’t leak out and that we were able to execute the trade in a way that still was surprising to all the parties involved. But that goes with this business.”
Talking about trading for Doncic naturally led to Buss reflecting on two deals from the franchise’s past: the trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for Pau Gasol, which was made exactly 17 years prior to the deal for Doncic; and the Lakers’ trade for Chris Paul in December 2011 that was nixed by then-NBA commissioner David Stern.
“There’s always this concern there’s going to be some new ruling that, like, now what’s going to happen?,” Buss said when asked about the backlash of the trade. “But what I have complete confidence in Rob is that he knows how to walk a deal through step by step to make sure that everything is complete and buttoned up and that’s exactly what happened.”
Buss also praised first-year coach JJ Redick, acknowledging that she originally had some skepticism about hiring a first-time coach.
“I really wanted Rob to have a relationship with the coach where they had the same vision for the team,” Buss said. “JJ and Rob really share a vision for what this team can be. And that it’s proven. The formula is being proven in real time, as we’ve seen what JJ’s been able to accomplish. Because I was worried about hiring a rookie coach. This team is so important to this community and to bring in a rookie coach that had no experience before, that was a big leap. But I knew that they would work well together, and I love watching the progress that they’re making.”
Redick, whose team has won 16 of its past 20 games to improve to 36-21, offered similar praise for Buss.
“Incredible support, to be honest with you,” Redick said. “There have been a few scenarios where I’ve gone to her for things, sometimes for counsel and sometimes for action. And she has responded well every time. To just going through what we just went through with the Luka trade, that requires a lot. Again, because A.D. in particular was just such a vital piece of this franchise.
“And the biggest thing is … Rob, myself, Jeanie, in the interview process and in the very early days this past summer, it was all about creating alignment and cohesiveness between those three people and we’ve done that.”
The Lakers also celebrated “Girl Dad Night” throughout Thursday.
Buss has made it clear that it’s been her goal to make her late father, Jerry Buss, proud ever since she took over the ownership of the team in 2013.
“He’d be very proud,” Buss said when asked what her dad would have said about the Doncic trade. “When you get a player of that stature, you have to give up a lot. My dad was such a great poker player and he said that he always wanted me to remember that poker was a game of patience. That you had to wait for the right cards, but once you got the cards, you had to go from zero to 100 and play the cards and not be afraid to flame out. So, it was difficult because we were not looking to trade Anthony Davis or Max Christie. But it was a deal that he would’ve made, and we had to go for it.”
