Frank McCourt saga shows uncertain times for Dodgers amid Lakers sale

There was “not a chance” the Dodgers would be sold, according to the person who was speaking on behalf of the franchise’s owner.“Speculation about the sale of the team is rubbish,” the person said.“He has absolutely no intention of selling this team now or ever.”Those comments weren’t made on Wednesday by Dodgers president Stan Kasten.

They were made 17 years ago by former owner Frank McCourt’s lawyer.In the wake of Mark Walter’s decision to sell his stake in the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, Kasten did what he could to downplay concerns about what this could mean for the Dodgers.With Walter as its controlling owner, the Dodgers emerged from bankruptcy to become baseball’s most dominant franchise.“This is a Lakers story, it’s not really a Dodgers story,” Kasten said. Kasten could have believed what he said.He could have been assured by Walter that nothing would change for the Dodgers.

And he could be right.But he also might not be.Because Walter’s intentions are only part of the equation. The US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, alongside the Securities and Exchange Commission, is investigating Walter and his companies for failing to properly disclose billions of dollars in loans among related entities, according to the Wall Street Journal.On the same day the Lakers’ sale was announced, Bloomberg reported that TWG Global was in talks with investors to pay down loans on the books of its insurers.

TMG Global is the holding company through which Walter purchased the Lakers.Could Walter also be forced to sell his stake in the Dodgers? Or switch up how he operates the championship team?Walter might be convinced that he won’t have to do any of that.He might be certain that he and his company didn’t do anything wrong.But the reality is that no one can be 100% sure how this will play out – not Walter, not the people investigating him, and certainly not Kasten.Which is why until Walter is cleared by investigators, the Dodger...