New Lakers Rumors on Luka Doncic's Relationship with LeBron, Reaves and 'Desire' in Free Agency

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić hasn't yet made a recruiting pitch to LeBron James and Austin Reaves ahead of the pair hitting free agency, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

McMenamin reported Dončić has maintained a line of communication with his teammates, but their chats haven't centered on basketball matters.

"Most of their conversations, the source said, revolve around golf, as Doncic took up the sport in February and has bonded with his fellow links-obsessed teammates over it," per the report.

Dončić has, however, been more to the point with coach JJ Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka. He has told the pair of his "desire" to add "an A-list center" to the roster, according to McMenamin.

Shortly after acquiring the six-time All-Star ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, the Lakers had a deal lined up for center to suit his game. However, they pulled out of their trade for Mark Williams, and they've yet to try another approach that aggressive toward strengthening their options at the 5.

The Athletic's Dan Woike and Sam Amick reported in May that Los Angeles had promised to Dončić before he signed his extension the organization would "give him a locker room full of his type of players, to find him replicants, if not improvements, of the balanced roster he made a finals run with in Dallas in 2024 before the stunning trade that sent him west."

Chief among those is a rim-running center similar to what he had with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.

The trouble for the Lakers is that there aren't a ton of great options in free agency, and the best at the position are restricted free agents poised to earn massive contracts. That group includes Williams, Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren.

L.A. chased Kessler in the past, and his relationship with the Utah Jazz reportedly isn't in the best place. Still, Utah holds all of the cards because of his RFA status, and he already declined a contract worth around $140 million.

Especially if they retain James and Reaves, the Lakers won't have a lot of money to spend, certainly not enough to accommodate a Kessler deal without other salaries going out.

It's easy enough for Dončić and others to identify the Lakers need for another center. Finding a realistic solution is far trickier.