Beginning August 2, the Los Angeles Lakers will have the opportunity to offer Luka Doncic a four-year contract worth $229 million. Doncic is set to earn $46 million next season and holds a $48.9 million player option for the 2026–27 campaign.
A five-time All-Star, Doncic was devastated when the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Lakers in February. The talented scorer threw his phone when the trade happened and cried in his return game in Dallas.
Despite having Doncic and LeBron James, the Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
Doncic, 26, put up 30.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the LA-Minnesota series, but he was targeted on defense and couldn’t stay in front of anyone.
It appears Doncic and the Lakers, though, are still on the same page despite what happened in the Timberwolves series. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Doncic is “fully committed” to the Lakers.
“I would be shocked if there’s not some sort of extension this summer,” MacMahon said on The Dan Patrick Show. “There’s a lot of factors. I don’t want to bog you down with CBA minutia and all that kind of stuff, but what I know of Luka, and I haven’t talked to him directly about this, but talking to people who know Luka well, I think he’s fully committed to LA now. His heart was broken, but he’s fully committed to the Lakers. His goal now is to win championships with that franchise.”
Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists with the Lakers in the regular season, helping the team clinch the third seed in the West. Many thought Los Angeles would compete for the title this year.
However, the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in five games. The team needs a center alongside Doncic and James and Pelinka is expected to attempt to acquire a big man this summer.
“We know this offseason, one of our primary goals is going to be to add size in our frontcourt at the center position,” Pelinka said during his exit interview.
“This roster needs more size and needs a center. That’s a very clear and obvious by-product of trading potentially the best big in the league to Dallas to get a point guard. Of course, that’s going to open up a huge hole.”
