Luka Doncic was prepared to sign his five-year, $346 million supermax with the Dallas Mavericks, but it remains to be seen what he intends to do this offseason on August 2nd when he becomes eligible to sign an extension with the Los Angeles Lakers for as much as $229 million over five years. Doncic can also sign a three-year, $165 million extension with a player option for 28-29 to coincide with his 10 years of service when he can sign at the 35 percent max.
“The pressure is on the organization between now and August 2nd to get Luka to sign that extension,” said Brian Windhorst on First Take. “That’s where the pressure is. Because Luka doesn’t have his incentive to sign. He never said ‘I want to be a Laker.’ There’s dozens of players over the years who make it crystal clear they want to be Lakers. Luka never said that. This hit him out of the blue. This cost him $100 million.
“He has got to see how they build this team around him and what they do in June and July for when August 2nd comes. The Lakers ain’t winning a championship this year. Their big, big moment is whether or not Luka commits to the future so they can properly try to do this again with a new face of the franchise.”
If Doncic were to choose not to sign an extension with the Lakers during the offseason, he could become a free agent as early as 2026.