Dodgers' Power Duo Zaidi & Friedman Advising Lakers

Merlin sees that Dodgers executives Farhan Zaidi and Andrew Friedman have quietly started advising the Los Angeles Lakers after Mark Walter’s purchase of the team. Zaidi is helping with the ownership transition while Friedman consults with GM Rob Pelinka under a new holding, TWG Sports; Jeanie Buss will remain governor "for the foreseeable future" even as Joey and Jesse Buss were dismissed. This matters because Walter is importing a front office that built a modern baseball dynasty to a franchise hungry for its next championship. Merlin notes that baseball smarts don’t translate automatically to hoops, but the Dodgers’ obsessive roster construction and resource management could sharpen the Lakers’ edges. With LeBron back and Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves playing at a high level, the timing for a refined front office is ideal—still, chemistry and health will decide how much magic follows.