LeBron James‘ future with the Lakers is up in the air as free agency opens on June 30. While he is currently vacationing in Europe, everyone is wondering if he will stay with the Lakers. But behind the scenes, Luka Doncic is already quietly putting in work. He has been reaching out to his teammates, and his connection with LeBron could play a huge role in what happens next. While James weighs his choices, Doncic has stepped into his role as a leader. The Slovenian’s camp has confirmed he has kept in touch with both James and Austin Reaves since the season ended.

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, sources close to Doncic have said that the 27-year-old “has kept in touch with James and Reaves since the season ended but hasn’t pitched either player on returning to L.A.”

Instead of pushing them to sign contracts, they have mostly talked about golf. Luka started playing golf in February, and LeBron became very interested in it last summer. Meanwhile, Reaves is already a good golfer.

“We had a great team, we had great chemistry, and obviously playing with AR and Bron, it’s an unbelievable experience,” Luka Doncic said, “They are two great players, and it was really fun to share the court with them.”

Doncic reaching out like this signals the Lakers’ commitment to him as the franchise player. This might be one of the things LeBron might think about when deciding on his future.

Since Luka’s arrival at the Lakers, many experts have suggested that LeBron James has a strained relationship with his Slovenian teammate. “It’s not LeBron’s team anymore,” Warriors insider Monte Poole recently pointed out. Simply put, Doncic holds more power over James now, unlike what it was like a few years ago. The Lakers are building their future around Doncic. This means every team move this summer will focus on what is best for him.

However, seeing Luka building an off-court relationship might help ease that. Doncic has done this before. In Dallas, he built a strong friendship off the court with Kyrie Irving, which helped them play great together. Now, he is using the same plan in Los Angeles.

At the same time, McMenamin also noted, “LeBron rocks with Luka.” In other words, James enjoys playing with Luka Doncic and feels comfortable alongside him. Therefore, if the Lakers head coach, JJ Redick, asks him to take on a supporting role while Doncic leads the offense, the 41-year-old is unlikely to see it as a problem or let it affect his plans.

Still, James’ future is unknown. Recently, his agent, Rich Paul, appeared on the Pat McAfee Show and said that he didn’t have any conversation with LeBron about what’s next.

“At the end of the season, I made it clear that I would respect him and the family, because this is going to be a family decision for him,” he said.

Meanwhile, rumors continue to link James with the Golden State Warriors. At present, the Dubs can offer James the $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception. This is $37 million less than what he made last season. But the Lakers can outsmart the Warriors and offer Bron a maximum deal of three years and $182 million. However, none of the voices in the league feel LA would make such a move.

That’s simply because they have nearly $50 million in cap space this summer. At most, they can consider $20-$30 million for James and re-sign Austin Reaves. That is, if he agrees to continue as a Laker, as he once expressed, per Rob Pelinka.

What’s next for Luka Doncic’s closest teammate, Austin Reaves?

During the end-of-the-season press conference, GM Rob Pelinka sounded confident about Austin Reaves.

“He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said. “And we feel the same way. We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the Purple and Gold.”

But keeping Reaves will not be easy. According to The Athletic, the Brooklyn Nets might show interest in trading for the 28-year-old guard. They might put a $179 million contract on the table. Meanwhile, “League sources said the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks are among a group of interested teams that can create space to make competitive offers. Other teams could also emerge.”

Right now, Reaves takes up $20.9 million in cap space. This lets the Lakers keep enough money open to sign other players first. After they do that, they can go over the salary cap to sign Reaves to a new deal. Moreover, if Reaves settles below the maximum salary, L.A. gains valuable breathing room for future moves and steers clear of the harsh penalties tied to crossing the second apron.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles Lakers have kept Luka Doncic closely involved as the draft and free agency draw near. Communication has remained steady, and the message runs both ways. Luka wants more than promises. He wants a roster capable of chasing a title right away. Therefore, the coming weeks carry extra weight. With every move orchestrated to show Doncic that LA plans to compete for championships immediately, not somewhere down the road.