New Details Of LeBron's Relationship With Luke Walton Have Emerged

LeBron James doesn't have the greatest history when it comes to his relationship with NBA coaches. He won championships with Erik Spoelstra and Ty Lue, but even with those guys, there were some rocky times. This has led to some speculation about Luke Walton's future in Los Angeles.

Earlier reports suggested that LeBron had not spoken to Walton. This wasn't too surprisingly, considering LeBron reportedly didn't talk to David Blatt before coming back to the Cavs.

These earlier reports appear to be incorrect, though. New information about LeBron's relationship with Walton have emerged.

ESPN reports that LeBron and Walton have been texting a lot.

"One nugget from the Lakers story we just posted. Yes, Luke Walton has been in touch with LeBron James. They texted the whole time LBJ was in Italy and made plans to meet in person soon to talk hoop," Ramona Shelburne reports.

Here's the nugget on LeBron and Luke:

Walton found out the morning of July 1 that James and Johnson had met for several hours the night before, and it had gone well. He didn't ask any more questions, knowing how important secrecy and discretion had become. (He has since exchanged text messages with James and made plans to meet in person soon.)

So, there you have it. LeBron and his new head coach have indeed been talking. The "LeBron is going to replace Luke Walton right away" narrative can probably be put away (for now, anyway).

LeBron and Luke will have their work cut out for them in 2018-19, though. The Western Conference is as good as it's ever been.