As soon as he was able to, five-time All-NBA Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic inked a multi-year contract extension to stay in Tinseltown through the rest of his 20s.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Doncic’s agent Bill Duffy reveals that the Lakers’ latest superstar has inked a three-season, maximum deal, which will give him a player option for the 2028-29 season.
If one is to believe the NBA’s most recent projection of a 7 percent salary cap bump in 2026, the agreement would pay Doncic $160.8 million across three seasons. That said, if the cap spikes by 10 percent (the most permitted), the agreement could be worth up to $165.3 million.
The player option gives Doncic the most financial flexibility. Were he to opt out (which feels likely as of this writing), the 2024 Western Conference Finals MVP would be able to sign a new, five-season, $417 million maximum contract with the Lakers — because maximum-salaried players with 10 years of NBA experience can be paid 35 percent of the league’s salary cap, as opposed to the 30 percent permitted to maximum players with fewer than 10 years of NBA service.
Doncic later took to X to announce the agreement and send a missive to the L.A. faithful about his future with the franchise.
I just signed my extension with the Lakers,” Doncic writes. “Excited to keep working to bring championships to LA and make Laker Nation proud. Grateful to the Lakers, my teammates and all the fans who’ve shown so much love since day one. This is just the beginning.
Across his 28 regular season contests with the 50-32 Lakers last year, Doncic averaged 28.2 points on .438/.379/.791 shooting splits, 8.1 boards, 7.5 dimes, and 1.6 swipes. Questions have abounded about his fit with incumbent stars LeBron James and Austin Reaves, both of whom thrive with the ball in their hands — like Doncic — and neither of whom are particularly adept defenders — also like Doncic.
Thanks to the new extension deal, Doncic cannot be traded for the next six months. Granted, that was a pretty remote possibility even before the agreement was announced, but now it’s official.
Doncic is slated to suit up for his native Slovenia in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, which tips off on Aug. 27. Slovenia’s first clash will be an Aug. 28 encounter with Poland.
