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Once the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, he lost his supermax contract extension eligibility. A supermax extension with the Mavericks would have paid Doncic $345 million over five years. The new Lakers star could still sign a four-year extension worth nearly $229 million this summer that would be added to the $43 million he's set to make in 2025-26, putting him under contract for five years with the Lakers.
While The Athletic reported earlier in the week that the belief is Doncic will be a Laker for the long haul, ESPN's Brian Windhorst says there's “no guarantee” he'll actually sign that long extension this summer.
“He has one year left and they don't get the supermax privilege. … So I would say to you, it's not a guarantee for sure that Luka's gonna rip off a five-year deal in July. He may wanna see how things play out.”
Luka Doncic not signing that full extension this summer wouldn't be the end of the world. Waiting until free agency in 2026 to sign a new five-year max would pay him roughly $296 million. Windhorst also acknowledges that Doncic could look to sign a short-term deal instead of the longest deal possible. With a shorter extension, Doncic can get himself to his next contract faster when he hits 10 years of service in the NBA, which would allow him to sign a five-year max at 35% of the cap.
Lakers need to build out roster
The Lakers made this Luka Doncic trade for him to take over as the face of the franchise for a long time, and they likely aren't too worried about him bolting anytime soon. However, they can't rest on their laurels and know they must improve the roster around him.
In the immediate, Los Angeles badly needs to acquire a center to replace the big hole Davis is leaving in the middle. Looking down the road, the LeBron James factor and just how long he'll be around will be something to watch. There are rumblings that James could retire after next season, but nothing is set in stone right now. It doesn't seem as if a LeBron trade will happen after acquiring Doncic, so Pelinka will get to work adding pieces to help the two stars.
