Browns Owners Dee, Jimmy Haslam in Talks to Buy Stake in Bucks, per Report

The Cleveland owners have reportedly been trying to get into the NBA recently.

Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam and the Haslam Sports Group are interested in buying a stake in the Bucks, Sportico reports. Haslam would buyout Milwaukee co-owner Marc Lasry’s 25% stake in the team.

Lasry has been a primary co-owner of the team along with Wes Edens since the two bought the franchise in 2014 for $550 million. According to Sportico, both Lasry and Edens alternated five-year stretches as primary governor of the franchise, and Lasry’s stretch is up at the end of next year, with Edens preparing to take back the position in the Fall of 2024.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports Lasry was initially talking about a deal with Mat Ishbia before Ishbia decided to buy the Suns instead. Lasry then pivoted to talks with Haslem about a potential deal.

The Haslams bought the Browns in 2012 for $1.05 billion, and they also own the Columbus Crew in MLS. Additionally, Jimmy was previously a minority owner in the Steelers. He is also the chairman of Pilot Flying J, a truck stop brand, a company that the FBI previously investigated for fraud.

Sportico reports Haslam has been trying to get into NBA ownership and was one of the interested parties in buying the Timberwolves before that team went to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.

While both sides have been talking about a deal for months, that doesn’t mean a deal will definitively get done.