When will the sale of the Lakers officially close?

Ever since the Buss family agreed to sell a majority share of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter, the CEO of Guggenheim Partners and the primary owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, there has been plenty of excitement about what lies ahead for the Lakers. Fans believe that the days of penny-pinching are over and that the franchise will start sparing no expense in order to bring in the best people, as much as the NBA's salary cap will allow.

One question many have had is when the sale will officially be completed and how long the transition will take. According to ESPN, the sale is expected to close sometime in the second half of this year.

"Businessman Mark Walter's acquisition of the majority ownership stake of the Los Angeles Lakers, in a deal that puts the franchise valuation at $10 billion, is expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of this year."

Walter has owned the Dodgers since 2012, and during that time, they have finished first in the National League West while winning two of the last five World Series championships. They have become one of the best, if not the best, organizations in all of Major League Baseball in terms of how they have been run from top to bottom.

The hope is that the Lakers will soon operate in a similar manner, instead of being allegedly run like a mom-and-pop small business, as they have for years under the ownership of the Buss family.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: When will the sale of the Lakers officially close?