Luka Dončić, by all accounts, planned to sign a five-year, supermax extension with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason. Those plans were scuttled when the Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. Now Dončić is no longer eligible for a supermax deal, and considering his brief history in Los Angeles, he would be more than justified in considering his long-term options, which include becoming a free agent in 2026. He could also stick around, and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon called Dončić “fully committed to L.A. now” ahead of possible extension negotiations this offseason.
“I would be shocked if there’s not some sort of extension this summer,” MacMahon said on an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” Tuesday. “You know, and what that looks like, there’s a lot of factors, I don’t want to bog you down with CBA minutia and all that kind of stuff. With what I know of Luka, and I haven’t talked to him directly about this, but you know, talking to people who know Luka well, I think he absolutely wants to give the Lakers, like, he’s fully committed to L.A. now. His heart was broken, but he’s fully committed now to the Lakers, and you know, his goal now is to win championships with that franchise.”
So, what exactly does this mean for the purple and gold? That depends on a few factors. The Lakers are reportedly willing to give Dončić whatever contract structure he wants when he becomes eligible to extend on Aug. 2, according to The Athletic. At that point, it’s up to him to decide what sort of deal he’s looking for.
If he wants the longest, most lucrative option possible, Dončić can extend with the Lakers for up to four years with $228 million in additional money added to his deal. That’s not the five-year, $345 million super max he could have gotten in Dallas, but it’s nothing to sneeze at either.
That super max would have been based on Dončić signing a new deal starting at 35% of the max, which is normally only available to players with at least 10 years of experience. If Dončić wants to set himself up to sign for that much, he could take a slightly different approach. By signing a two-year extension with a third-year player option, he could guarantee himself roughly $165 million while giving himself the chance to become an unrestricted free agent after his 10th NBA season. He could then become a free agent in the summer of 2028 and re-sign with the Lakers on a five-year deal worth a projected $418 million.
The goal for now is to put a contending roster around Dončić. Doing so with him on an expiring deal would have been incredibly difficult. It would have made it hard to recruit free agents or trade draft picks without knowing whether or not he’d stick around beyond 2026. But if he is indeed committed to Los Angeles as reported, the Lakers can build comfortably knowing that their centerpiece is in place.
