Why Lakers’ Team-Bonding Trip in Slovenia Is Exactly What They Need

The Los Angeles Lakers will not wait until training camp to begin building chemistry around Luka Dončić.

Dončić is reportedly taking nearly the entire roster to Slovenia for a five-day team-bonding trip. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers star arranged a chartered flight for approximately 14 people and planned several activities designed to bring the group closer together.

The itinerary reportedly includes Slovenian gift bags, dinner at one of Dončić’s favorite restaurants, fishing at Lake Bled and a round of golf.

Those activities may sound like an offseason vacation, but the trip could serve an important purpose for a Lakers roster entering the 2026-27 season with 11 new faces.

The Lakers reshaped their team after being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.

LeBron James left Los Angeles to join the Philadelphia 76ers, officially making Dončić the unquestioned centerpiece of the franchise. L.A. also acquired Walker Kessler and added Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams.

The Lakers may have more youth, depth and defensive versatility than they had last season, but adding talent does not guarantee immediate results. Players must learn one another’s tendencies, establish roles and develop the communication required to win close games.

A trip away from the practice facility gives them an early opportunity to begin that process.

Dončić’s decision to organize the event is also an encouraging display of leadership. He is no longer simply joining a team built around James. This is now his roster, and the responsibility of setting its direction belongs largely to him.

Taking teammates to his home country allows them to understand him beyond basketball while showing that he is invested in building genuine relationships.

L.A.’s projected starting group could feature Dončić, Austin Reaves, Grimes, Mamukelashvili and Kessler. That lineup has shooting, playmaking and interior protection, but most of its members have never played meaningful minutes together.

The same concern applies to the second unit. JJ Redick will have to determine how Sexton, Looney, Jarred Vanderbilt, Thybulle and the team’s younger players fit within his rotation.

The Slovenia trip will not solve every basketball question. It will not establish defensive coverages or determine who closes games. Those decisions will come during training camp and the preseason.

What it can do is create familiarity before the difficult work begins.

The Lakers will face high expectations during their first full season of the Dončić era. With so many new players, some early growing pains appear inevitable.

By bringing the team together in August, Dončić is giving L.A. a chance to shorten that adjustment period — and showing that he is prepared to lead the franchise on and off the court.