It was reported a week ago that Luka Doncic is taking ownership of getting all the new and old faces of the Los Angeles Lakers together for a four-day minicamp in Slovenia to help the team bond ahead of training camp. The only current player missing that trip? Cameron Carr.
The Stein Line reported: "Doncic has chartered a plane and is paying the full bill to fly and host every single Lakers teammate in his native Slovenia later this month. I'm told that 16 of the 17 players on the Lakers' roster not named Doncic ... have all committed to attend."
Poor timing will keep Carr from making that list complete. Stein explained the Lakers young wing is required to participate in an official NBA rookie orientation around the same time of the trip. That will leave this year's first-round pick fighting an uphill battle when training camp arrives.
Cameron Carr will need to make up for lost time with the Lakers
To no fault of his own, Carr's teammates will all get an important opportunity to mesh together before training camp. Those little things matter when trying to put the pieces together on a squad with so many new faces.
Getting to work with Doncic before training camp could have allowed for Carr to develop early chemistry with the franchise's superstar. It is easy to envision the two operating well together on offense. It would have still been beneficial to put it in practice.
Carr will still get that shot. It is just that everyone else will have him beat to the punch here.
Speaking of, getting gelled with the other guys matters a ton too. Realistically, Carr projects to be a bench player for the Lakers in 2026-27. Learning and getting comfortable with the habits of his second-unit guys would go a long way to building the type of chemistry that would help him shine.
Cameron Carr can still find his path to Lakers rotation
Missing the Slovenia trip should not mean that Carr will not find his footing with the Lakers this season. It just means he is starting off at a slight disadvantage by comparison to the others.
A strong training camp can help him put missing that trip to rest. Carr has consistently said the right things during Summer League and otherwise about the opportunity in front of him. That type of attitude should give the Lakers rookie every opportunity to create an opening for himself.
Getting Carr to be a two-way force for Los Angeles would be a massive boost to the rotation in 2026-27. Hopefully for the Lakers, the missed window in Slovenia just turns into an even more focused effort when the time comes.
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