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The Los Angeles Lakers have been making a few moves over the past few weeks, and it's not only to improve the team, but to satisfy one of their star players. When Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers last season, the vibe was that every move the Lakers made from then on would be to help Doncic, and that's what happened when Smart recently signed with them.
Ultimately, the team aims to ensure Doncic remains a Laker for life, which means he must sign an extension with the team. As long as it may be taking for him to actually sign it, there is a lot of optimism surrounding him being with the Lakers now and in the future, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
“I'm going to say this—and I know I’ll get aggregated—but I feel this strongly about it: I would be shocked if he didn’t sign an extension,” Shelburne said via ESPN LA radio.
Though Doncic didn't ask to get traded to the Lakers, it seems like he enjoys being in Los Angeles and is dedicated to bringing the team a championship. It also looks like the team is committed to listening to what he wants, which should give him a reason to want to stay.
When will Luka Doncic sign his extension with the Lakers?
After next season, Doncic can become a free agent if he declines his player option, and the Lakers do not want that. With how active he's been in helping the team during free agency, there is more confidence that he will end up signing the extension, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
“External fretting about Dončić committing his long-term future to the Lakers, meanwhile, has dissipated considerably thanks to the contributions made by the 26-year-old throughout free agency in collaboration with vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka,” Stein wrote. “Contact between Pelinka, Dončić and two pillars of Team Luka — chief brand officer and business manager Lara Beth Seager and longtime agent Bill Duffy — has been constant since a well-chronicled dinner at Craig's in West Hollywood shortly after L.A.'s first-round playoff elimination.”
It would not be a surprise if Doncic signed the extension before the season started so they won't have to worry about it for the entire year. As of now, it looks like Doncic will a Laker for a long time, and the team and fans have embraced him.
