It sounds like Los Angeles Lakers megastar Luka Doncic has some significant sway and influence with the Lakers' front office. A new report from Sam Amick and Dan Woike of The Athletic revealed that the Lakers are keeping Luka in the loop:
"Dončić has had regular contact with new Lakers owner Mark Walter and has been impressed with the level of communication, league sources said."
Lakers ownership has established strong communication with Luka Doncic
This is a notable revelation about Luka's relationship with the Lakers. So often, fans and analysts assume that superstar players have an "in" with the front office or ownership that, in reality, doesn't exist. Players are often promised front office sway when they sign, only to be left out of the important conversations about trades, free agency, and roster building when push ultimately comes to shove. In truth, organizations are under no contractual pressure to involve their players in major decisions.
But the Lakers appear to be taking a different approach with Luka, and LeBron fans are sure to react sensitively to this news, seeing as there's been plenty of speculation in recent years that the Lakers haven't given James the type of front office insight that he probably deserves (and that many people would assume that he has, by virtue of being LeBron James).
Did the Lakers' brass learn something through its (mis)handling of LeBron, or is this new approach with Luka simply a function of a new owner (Walter)? The latter scenario is more immediately feasible.
Luka Doncic has what every superstar dreams of: front office sway
LeBron's friction with the Lakers aside, this is the dream scenario for Doncic to be stepping into as he enters his third offseason as a Laker. It'll be fascinating to see if we learn anything else in the coming weeks about Luka's level of communication with GM Rob Pelinka as the Lakers attack an absolutely pivotal offseason of roster retooling.
We know that Luka wanted Marcus Smart to join the Lakers, and that happened. We also know that Luka likes playing with Austin Reaves and wants to continue doing so. Will Doncic make other specific requests to Pelinka about roster additions? Surely, Luka wouldn't be bashful about sharing his preferences. Whether or not Pelinka can pull off the deals to bring in the desired targets is another matter entirely.
Maybe while Luka is resting his body this summer, he'll be able to put on his GM hat and help the Lakers build the perfect roster. It might sound like a stretch, but there's really nothing Doncic can't do.
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