It has been a whirlwind 2025 for Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic, who was shell-shocked by his trade from the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers' surprising early exit from the playoffs at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves will give Doncic a bit more time off than expected, but he's still in line for a busy summer.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reports the Lakers star plans to play for Slovenia at EuroBasket 2025, which begins in late August.

As McMenamin notes, Doncic will “be accompanied by members of his ‘body team' — Slovenian national team strength coach Anže Maček and physiotherapist Javier Barrio Calvo — throughout the offseason.” There was drama between Doncic's “body team” and the Mavericks, with his weight, conditioning, and recent injury woes playing a part in the blockbuster trade.

The Lakers and their fans would surely prefer for Doncic to get healthy this summer and use the offseason to fully focus on getting in shape, but playing in EuroBasket is a big deal for him. And while there's injury risk from playing, perhaps EuroBasket will have him in better shape for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Luka Doncic's Lakers contract situation

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In addition to EuroBasket, Luka Doncic has a big contract decision to make. The Lakers can offer a four-year, $229 million contract extension on Aug. 2. He could also look to sign a three-year, $165 million extension with a player option that would allow him to sign a larger max deal in 2028.

McMenamin reports Doncic “will take his time with his decision,” but there's no evidence he wants out despite the ugly loss to Minnesota. Doncic has said publicly he wants to stick around, and a source told McMenamin he feels “wanted” in Los Angeles.

LeBron James has no interest in trying to sway Doncic's contract decision and will let things play out. LeBron has his own decision to make on his future, but barring a big surprise, these two will likely be teammates again next season.