On Feb 2, 2025, the Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA world by officially acquiring Luka Doncic in a league-altering trade with the Dallas Mavericks, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.
The Lakers were coming off a massive win against the New York Knicks without Davis in the lineup due to an injury, but it seemed that the team was putting it all together for the stretch run of the season. They had won eight of their last 10 games, and were looking like they could make some noise in the Western Conference playoffs.
But then the Doncic deal came, a seismic shift in the Lakers’ plans and priorities. They re-opened their championship-contending window for years to come with the Slovenian superstar in the fold. However, their team in the 2024-25 season became a little worse.
They now don’t have a starting-caliber center, going with young backup Jaxson Hayes to lead the way. And Luka was not at his best, coming off a significant calf injury. Still, the Lakers went 9-2 in their first 11 games after Doncic’s debut.
They attempted to trade for center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets, but ultimately backed out after injury concerns arose during his physical.
They continued to rise in the Western Conference standings, finishing as the No. 3 seed. They lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, with Dončić, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves all either suffering injuries during or leading up to the series.
Still, the Doncic era was firmly underway, opening the door for years of contention behind a generational superstar just entering his prime.
Luka Doncic signed three-year extension with Lakers when first eligible
One of the lone risks — if you could even call it that — of trading for Doncic was that he had only one more full season remaining on his contract, and he could be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026 if he so chose. He was extension-eligible, but not until August, after the bulk of free agency, trade season, and the draft had passed.
But on the day Luka was eligible, he signed a three-year extension to remain with the Lakers. The deal added three years and approximately $161 million to his current contract at the time, and would tie him to the franchise until at least the summer of 2028. There, he could decline a player option and sign an even higher-level max contract as a 10-year player.
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