Sources: Lakers, NBA positioning for Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo moves

For those interested in NBA gossip and rumors, Las Vegas Summer League has become a borderline Disney World experience. Executives, scouts, agents and reporters gather to swap any little bit of intel they have to help piece together a mosaic of however the rest of the summer might play out. While LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers’ awkward marriage of necessity garnered its share of attention, another topic drew far more interest and speculation: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s availability and the positioning for that, which has already begun.

It was surreal to dive headfirst into a league that seems to have moved on from James’ latest passive-aggressive posturing and subliminal messaging aimed at the Lakers in an attempt to get them to push their chips into the middle of the table or let him walk to a situation more intent upon winning a championship this season.

Far more people around the league noted the various steps and differing approaches teams are taking to make the most appealing situation for the likes of Jokic, Doncic and Antetokounmpo.

The Lakers, according to sources close to the situation, are confident they’ll be able to retain Doncic on a contract extension and will then use that security to convince another star to force their way to L.A. via trade, with the threat of them signing with the Lakers in the summer of 2027 hanging over those conversations. As such, league sources say the Lakers are not making their 2031 or ‘32 first-round pick available unless the player coming back in the trade will solidify them as title contenders.

Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situations

In Denver, the Nuggets are taking a very different approach. They used a first-round pick to trade Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson. With the Jonas Valanciunas situation seemingly figured out, they’ll have a solid bench for the first time in years. Valanciunas joins Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr., who both took less than they could’ve gotten elsewhere to sign on minimum deals.

Denver’s hope is for Antetokounmpo or Doncic (maybe especially Doncic) to watch them start the season as upper-tier contenders while their current teams remain further back in the back either because of cap or internal restrictions.

The Milwaukee Bucks have once again pushed all their chips into the middle of the table to remain even somewhat competitive for Antetokounmpo’s prime, waiving and stretching Damian Lillard to sign Myles Turner after Brook Lopez’s departure. While that gamble may not pay off, no one can ever accuse the Bucks of not doing everything in their power to keep their superstar.

“The Lakers have to be careful,” a West executive told ClutchPoints. “Luka just got his butt kicked by a team he handled easily last year and now they’re telling him to wait another year before he can really compete. If Denver wins it all or comes close while Rob makes it clear he doesn’t believe in Luka and LeBron as a combo, they could be a real threat for him this next season or two.”

Other teams very clearly readying themselves for superstar pushes are the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers.

A rumor that gained some momentum until Erik Spoelstra seemed to offer a vote of confidence in their starting forward was whether Miami would take a trade offer of the Lakers’ expiring contracts in an effort to clog their books with Andrew Wiggins’ player option for the 2026-27 season. The teams have maintained some communication in recent days but both have seemed to move on.

Bradley Beal just chose the Clippers over the Lakers (among others), and he’ll join one of the league’s deepest rosters. Maybe, just maybe, this is the year they remain healthy enough to seriously contend and, as they do so, they’ve already begun their work on enticing one of Jokic, Doncic or Antetokounmpo over the next couple years.

What’s Luka Doncic up to this offseason?