It's been an offseason of change for Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic, who has been going on something of a press tour in the aftermath of new photos published by Men's Health showing him in much slimmer condition. Doncic also recently signed a contract extension, signifying his long-term commitment to a Lakers team that traded for him back in February from the Dallas Mavericks.
Doncic seemed to be in a celebratory mood on Saturday evening, going to a Backstreet Boys concert with some of his Lakers teammates in a video posted by Marrisa Torrez on TikTok (via Luka Updates on X, formerly Twitter).
https://x.com/LukaUpdates/status/1952017078229389800
Doncic's new extension, combined with the overwhelmingly positive feedback he's gotten on his new physique this offseason, is certainly a cause for celebration.
The Lakers have made clear their commitment to building around Doncic as their franchise cornerstone moving forward. While some feared that this may have alienated LeBron James in the aftermath of a bizarre statement put out by Rich Paul, James has since signed his player option with the team, which will bring him back for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
The Lakers have also made some savvy additions on the buyout market in the form of Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton, which helped address two of their biggest weaknesses: point of attack defense and frontcourt depth, respectively. At this point, it would appear unlikely that the Lakers will make any other big moves this offseason.
Overall, it's been a solid if not amazing offseason for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office, but if Luka Doncic's weight loss and supposedly improved conditioning turn out to be legit, that could end up being the biggest development of the summer in Los Angeles.
In any case, the Lakers' schedule for the upcoming 2025-26 season is slated to be released at some point later this month.
