Luka Dončić Is Showing the Lakers a Good Time in Slovenia (and Why That Matters)

Turns out there's no real downside to being Luka Dončić's teammate, at least as it pertains to offseason team bonding trips. 

The Lakers, flown out to Slovenia on Luka's dime, are being treated to a first class tour of his home country. There has been golf and food and kayaking and clinics and workouts and more, all of it designed to bring the team together. Important to build chemistry with a very new group, no question. But also to help that new team learn more about Luka, who is stepping into an enhanced leadership role this season with LeBron James now in Philly. 

It matters that the people being led understand who is doing the leading. And this trip plays a big role. Hopefully they can truly jumpstart the process of building meaningful cohesion. It'll be hard to quantify the impact, but it certainly won't hurt. 

Meanwhile, player movement! Klay Thompson, connected to the Lakers in one way or another for years, is again... not coming to the Lakers. He's going to Miami to help bolster the Heat bench, and will get a two year deal with a player option for the second season that the Lakers couldn't offer, and shouldn't have even if they could. Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan will try to stem the bleeding in Denver, agreeing to join the Nuggets on a one-year deal. He can't defend the way Peyton Watson does, but offensively is still a very strong player. 

Finally, is Adam Silver ready to help figure out a resolution to the Buss Family Drama (which doesn't involve helping the sibs get along, but likely means getting them out of the ownership group)? And what does the Walter issue indicate about the problems the league has with owners in the age of franchise valuations in the multi-billion dollar range? 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Fun with Luka in Slovenia! 

SEGMENT 2: Klay in Miami, DeRozan in Denver. 

SEGMENT 3: Ownership issues get tricky as valuations rise significantly.

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

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