The Dallas Mavericks decision to trade now-Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić continues to reverberate around the league to the front steps of American Airlines Center and streets of downtown Dallas. Will those reverberations ever cease? Only time will tell. There are theories, rumors, and stories linked to the truth behind the Mavs organization’s decision to ship out the city’s beloved superstar. Money is usually involved in a star’s departure from a team. According to ESPN’s and The Hoop Collective Podcast regular Tim MacMahon, money definitely played a role in Dallas.
If money was at the center of it all, it was supermax related—a deal Dončić was due for soon. Now, he won’t be eligible despite hitting free agency in 2026. Of course, Luka won’t need to worry about that too much. The Lakers will undoubtedly offer him a highly persuasive number. Los Angeles didn’t agree to the trade if they didn’t have a plan to convince Dončić to remain for the long-term future. While it took some time to come to grips with his new reality, Dončić appears to be loving his time in LA, playing alongside LeBron James and being coached by JJ Redick. Undoubtedly, Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka will do whatever they must to ensure Luka signs permanently.
According to MacMahon, that supermax is the reason Dallas wanted to move on. In speaking with Lakers insider Jovan Buha on Buha’s Block podcast, MacMahon, who just wrote a book about Dončić titled The Wonder Boy, suggested that $100 million is the number Luka could demand in accordance with his value.
Even for Luka, $100 million per season in the NBA sounds way out of left field. Joel Embiid earns the most of any active player ($64.3) per year across the extent of his current contract. He rakes in $51.4 million per season. Nikola Jokić earns the same per season as Embiid until 2026-27, where the numbers slightly shift. Steph Curry earns $55.7 for this current season, the most per season of all players. MacMahon stated that the supermax is a little under $70 million.
The Lakers would be crazy to offer Luka almost $30 million above the average to get him to remain a Laker. That said, it is the Lakers, and if any team could pull it off, it would likely be them. Luckily for LA, they won’t have to go this distance, considering that the supermax is off the table. Still, whatever deal they eventually offer up to Dončić will be sweet enough—whatever it takes to keep him Hollywood.
