Unquestionably the biggest decision surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason is the future of Luka Doncic as they will be offering him a contract extension when he first becomes eligible in August. The Lakers traded for Doncic last February with no reassurances that he would re-sign with them.
The Lakers are still reportedly very confident that Doncic will extend and continue his partnership with the Lakers long-term, but there’s no knowing for sure until he signs on the dotted line.
The Lakers organization is currently undergoing a lot of change, not only transitioning from building around LeBron James to Doncic, but also the expected ownership sale that will see Mark Walter take over from the Buss family at some point later this year.
Doncic expressed excitement about the ownership change, which is perhaps why they are confident that he will sign an extension despite their relative inactivity when it comes to building a championship-caliber roster this offseason. Rob Pelinka laid out a plan for Doncic at the beginning of the offseason that the superstar was said to be on board with. That likely included the additions of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, the latter of which Luka helped recruit.
Additionally, in a video posted to the Lakers’ official YouTube page, Doncic was asked what he wants to be known for in Los Angeles, and he made it clear that he wants it to be for winning multiple rings with the purple and gold:
“The guy that brought championships to the city, for sure.”
It’s nice to see that Doncic shares the same mentality as everyone in the Lakers organization as they have always been about winning championships.
After being eliminated in the first round last offseason, they clearly have a lot of work to do to get there, but having a 26-year-old superstar like Doncic leading the way is definitely a good place to start.
Luka Doncic loves playing with LeBron James
It remains to be seen how much longer LeBron James will be playing on the Lakers and the NBA in general, but Luka Doncic’s representation recently made it clear that he has the utmost respect and enjoys playing with the 40-year-old.
If the Lakers are going to compete for a championship then it will be Doncic and James leading the way, so it is nice to see that the appear to be on the same page despite all of the noise surrounding them and the organization this offseason.
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