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Although he will soon be eligible to sign a lucrative contract extension, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is committed to representing his country at EuroBasket this summer.
Doncic, whom the Lakers acquired in February from the Dallas Mavericks, may be in the United States over the next week or so, possibly even overlapping when he officially becomes eligible for his extension. But it won't be for long, according to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein.
“The Lakers’ Luka Dončić, I’m told, is scheduled to return soon to the United States for a long-planned Jordan Brand promotional tour for his signature sneaker line,” Stein posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“He’s expected to join Slovenia’s national team in early August to begin EuroBasket preparations.”
The Lakers’ Luka Dončić, I’m told, is scheduled to return soon to the United States for a long-planned Jordan Brand promotional tour for his signature sneaker line.
He’s expected to join Slovenia’s national team in early August to begin EuroBasket preparations.
📸 @LukaDonkicks pic.twitter.com/ZiDWo8ZAqT
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 25, 2025
Doncic reportedly has not prioritized signing the extension, which he can do as soon as Aug. 2. ESPN reporter Tim McMahon said earlier this summer that he could see Doncic holding off on inking a new deal until after EuroBasket, which tracks with Doncic's past; he did not sign his extension with the Mavericks until Aug. 10, 2021, two days after the conclusion of basketball portion of the Summer Olympics, in which Doncic and Slovenia participated.
If Doncic indeed does wait to sign his deal until after EuroBasket, that means mid-September would be the most realistic time for his signature to finally hit paper. The premier European national team event begins Aug. 27, with Slovenia starting the tournament the following day in Katowice, Poland. The group stage is split up between Katowice, Tampere, Finland, Riga, Latvia, and Limassol, Cyprus. The entirety of the subsequent 16-team elimination bracket will be hosted in Riga. The event is set to end on Sept. 14, a little over two weeks before the start of Lakers training camp.
Although there has been some doubt that Doncic, who was blindsided by being traded earlier in the year, would re-sign with the Lakers, it does appear as if the Slovenian star will do so. If not, then LeBron James' reported anger over the Lakers' purported preferential treatment of Doncic would be all for nothing. It would also almost certainly prompt mass chaos in the L.A. front office, which traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie in the Doncic deal and has since added Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia this offseason.
