Broadcast duo to stay on the job with Lakers

The Lakers have agreed to multiyear deals with broadcasters Bill Macdonald and Stu Lantz, making them the centerpiece of the team’s move to a newly created Time Warner Cable channel next season, The Times has learned.

Macdonald is in his first year as the Lakers’ play-by-play announcer, and Lantz is in his 25th year as their color commentator.

After a decades-long partnership with Fox Sports West and Channel 9, the Lakers begin a 20-year deal with Time Warner Cable next season. It could be extended to 25 years and total more than $5 billion if the Lakers pick up an option for five more years in 2032.

Macdonald was on a one-year contract this season after replacing Joel Meyers and becoming the Lakers’ third play-by-play announcer since Chick Hearn.

Radio broadcasters John Ireland and Mychal Thompson are also expected to be retained next season by the Lakers, though nothing has been finalized.

Long wait in draft

NBA Commissioner David Stern said he hoped to raise the eligibility age for the amateur draft from 19 to 20. The Lakers probably weren’t overly concerned.

It wouldn’t happen for quite a while. And they traded their two first-round picks last month.

Unless they take the unlikely step of trading into the first round in June, the Lakers will not have had a first-round selection since taking Javaris Crittenton in 2007, choosing instead to enhance their team with more experienced players via trades and free agency.

The Lakers currently own one pick in the draft: the 60th (and final) selection. They acquired it from Chicago in a three-team trade that sent Sasha Vujacic to New Jersey in December 2010.

The Lakers traded their own second-round pick in this year’s draft to Dallas as part of the Lamar Odom trade last December.

Alumni news

Wednesday was a quiet night for the two Lakers traded last month.

Cleveland small forward Luke Walton was scoreless with two turnovers in nine minutes of the Cavaliers’ 107-98 loss to Milwaukee. He is averaging 2.1 points and 13.9 minutes in eight games since being traded by the Lakers last month as part of the Ramon Sessions deal.

Oklahoma City point guard Derek Fisher had two points and two assists in 17 minutes of the Thunder’s 98-93 loss to Miami. Fisher is averaging three points, 1.3 assists and 19.4 minutes in eight games since the Lakers traded him last month for seldom-used power forward Jordan Hill.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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