The NBA offseason is officially underway for the Dallas Mavericks after they were knocked out of the Play-In Tournament by the Memphis Grizzlies a few weeks ago. They were also shockingly joined by the Los Angeles Lakers when it comes to teams knocked out of the postseason, as Luka Doncic and company lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games last week.
Los Angeles didn't have the size to compete with Minnesota down low, and their offseason began much earlier than anticipated. Now, Rob Pelinka and the entire Lakers organization enter the offseason with a major task at hand, that being signing Doncic to a max contract extension to ensure his services are locked up in Los Angeles deep into the future.
Had Nico Harrison not traded Doncic, the Mavs would have had the chance to sign him to a supermax extension, and now the Lakers will likely do whatever they can to make sure Doncic re-signs with them. They traded Anthony Davis for Doncic to try to build their future around him, and Doncic will likely soon illustrate one trait to the Lakers that made Mavs fans fall in love with him over his six and a half seasons with the franchise.
Doncic's loyalty has followed him to Los Angeles for crucial offseason
That being loyalty through the thick and thin. No matter what.
Doncic planned on retiring a Maverick and going through everything with that organization, and things are lining up for him to do the same thing for the Lakers. It has already been reported that Doncic will take his time with whatever decision he decides to make this summer, but things are looking promising for Pelinka and Doncic to get a deal done before the August 2 deadline.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Doncic met with Pelinka (subscription required), JJ Redick, and Lara Beth Seager (Doncic's business manager) just two days after the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in the playoffs, and Stein noted that the Lakers are confident that Doncic will sign an extension with them this summer. There is collaboration between both sides already when it comes to working toward a new deal, and it seems like the same loyalty that Doncic showed the Mavs is staying with him in Los Angeles.
Lakers fans are going to love this part about Doncic, as they have likely found their next superstar until the day he retires. Doncic's main focus is always winning the NBA Finals, not individual statistics or accolades, and he won't stop at anything to achieve that goal.
While Mavericks fans will always dream of the possibility that he returns to Dallas someday and rides off into the sunset as a Maverick, a lot of change would have to happen within the organization, including firing Harrison along with Patrick Dumont issuing him a sincere apology. This would be the perfect comeback story for both sides, but it doesn't seem like this type of move is coming anytime soon.
Luka Doncic is enjoying his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, and from everything that has been reported, it sounds like he'll continue to enjoy his time in Tinseltown deep into the future.
