Quite a week for Luka Dončić.
First, he appeared in a Men’s Health story about his offseason diet and workout routine, revealing a slimmer, fitter and more muscular Dončić, and then he spent time in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles as a featured athlete in Jordan Brand’s summer campaign.
The week culminated with the Los Angeles Lakers star signing a three-year, $165 million extension that brings his salary through 2028-29 to $206.8 million.
And there’s a catch that will make Lakers fans and Dončić happy: Dončić has a player option for the 2028-29 season, meaning he can become a free agent in the summer of 2028.
“I can’t wait to get started,” Dončić said Saturday.
The Lakers are happy, too. They have Dončić under contract for at least the next three seasons. If Dončić becomes a free agent in 2028, the two sides, according to ESPN front-office insider Bobby Marks, can agree on a five-year, $417 million contract when Dončić is 29 years old.
The Lakers are positioned to make Dončić the face of the franchise for the next eight seasons, while of course sharing that spotlight with LeBron James for at least one more season.
There are short-term and long-term angles to the Dončić-Lakers pairing. They want to compete for a title in 2025-26, and the way Dončić and James are working out this summer, they’re intent on making a run.
This deal is also about the future. The Lakers didn’t trade Anthony Davis and risk alienating one of the all-time great players just to have Dončić leave for another team after a couple of seasons.
The Lakers’ trade for Dončić before the February trade deadline is one of the most stunning trades in NBA history. The Dallas Mavericks gave up an MVP-caliber player and sent him to one of the league’s premier franchises. It was such a stunning trade that it took Dončić time to process it, and there was no guarantee he would make a long-term commitment to the Lakers.
So, the Lakers took their time, gave Dončić time and put together plans to show Doncic how he would be the face of the franchise. At Saturday’s news conference, Dončić acknowledged that he feels “much better” as a Laker today than he did five months ago.
Meanwhile, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss reached a deal to sell a majority stake in the franchise to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter. The dynamics of the NBA are shifting on and off the court. Ownership is changing hands or has changed hands in Phoenix, Boston, Dallas, Minnesota, Charlotte, and Los Angeles over the past two seasons, and the Portland Trail Blazers are now for sale.
The Lakers need to figure out James’ situation, and that relationship has the potential to become messy. Dončić will do his best to say the right things and stay out of the way there. That’s an issue for James and management.
“All the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp, Rich (Paul, James’ agent) in particular, have been positive and supportive, very professional. … We want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable. If he has a chance to retire a Laker, that would be great,” Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said.
Yes, there were LeBron James questions at Doncic’s press conference announcing Doncic’s extension. But the day was about Doncic – and the days and seasons ahead for the Lakers are all about Doncic, too.
