The Los Angeles Lakers will have to do everything they can to assemble a competitive team around Luka Doncic and LeBron James. With James likely nearing retirement and Luka Doncic needing assurance about the team’s future plans, the Lakers face a strange and uncertain position.
However, all indications point to him staying with the Lakers for the near future.
Whether that’s due to being in one of the best cities in the world, the Lakers being one of the marquee organizations in the NBA, or him looking to get paid, Doncic has every reason to take an extension.
Despite that reality, Michael Saenz of Sir Charles in Charge predicted that the Lakers could move on from him in a blockbuster trade this offseason, adding that it’s possible if the Lakers don’t think they can extend him.
“Whether they’re willing to admit it or not, the Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a pretty big offseason for themselves. Not only do they have to await LeBron James’ decision on what he wants to do at this point in his career, but they’ll also be trying to sign Luka Doncic to a long-term contract extension. The hope is that it will get done at some point during the offseason, but if it doesn’t, it could make this summer even more complicated for Los Angeles.
“If Luka does deny an extension with the Lakers, it could open the door to a potential trade. The Lakers wouldn’t be in a position where they could roll the dice on the possibility of losing him for nothing during the offseason and would have to seriously explore trading him before the season begins. It may not be a popular move, but the Lakers can’t afford to lose him in free agency. The hope is that things don’t come to that, but there is a possibility that it will this summer,” he wrote.
What Can Doncic Sign For?
The Los Angeles Lakers might want to get creative with Doncic, who could sign a three-year extension and hit free agency again during the 2028 offseason.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the maximum extension the Lakers can offer Doncic this summer is a four-year deal worth nearly $230 million.
“The maximum extension that the Lakers can offer Doncic this summer is a four-year deal worth nearly $230 million,” Stein and Fischer wrote.
“Doncic, though, has one season left on his current contract and thus likewise holds the option of emulating Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell by signing a three-year extension (valued at $165 million) with a player option for Year 3 that would enable him to return to free agency in the summer of 2028 and negotiate a new deal in a higher pay bracket once he has accrued 10 years’ of service time,” they wrote.
Lakers Will Likely Keep Doncic, Despite Prediction
At this point, there’s been no indication that Doncic wants out of the Los Angeles Lakers. Anything can change, and that was clear during the season when the Dallas Mavericks sent him to the Lakers.
However, he looks ready to show Los Angeles fans why the team made the trade, and is hopeful to prove Dallas wrong.
Doncic, one of the best five players in the NBA, should be a lock to stay around in Los Angeles for the near future.
