This is a massive week for Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers. While all the media attention has been on a Jordan Brand promotional tour for Doncic, on Saturday, he becomes eligible to sign a maximum contract extension for up to four years to tie himself to the Lakers for the foreseeable future.
All rumors have indicated that Doncic will be signing that extension, but there remains some hesitation as to how many years he’ll sign for. He can sign a four-year deal worth up to $223 million, but could also sign a shorter contract in the hopes of either lining up his next free agency with other stars, or with the 10-year veteran mark which would allow for an even more lucrative fourth contract.
But regardless of what extension Luka ultimately ends up signing — if he signs at all — he is not going to be complacent with the Lakers regarding the moves they make. He still wants the focus to be contending for a championship each and every year, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“This isn’t signing away to the Lakers and saying, ‘OK, you have my commitment and I’ll have some patience here.’ It’s ‘I want to win this year, I want to win the subsequent year. So long as my name is signed to a piece of paper saying I am a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, I expect to be in a position to raise banners at the Crypto.com Arena.’”
The Lakers have built their entire offseason plan around patience and the idea that by maintaining future flexibility, they can build a true contender in the next year or two. However, that clearly didn’t stop Doncic from trying to make things happen.
He reportedly recruited Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton into the mix, giving the Lakers an arguably improved team from the one that finished with the No. 3 seed in the West last year. But it remains to be seen if the Lakers are genuine contenders.
Regardless, even if Luka signs that extension the first minute he can, the Lakers are still on the clock to make something happen.
Luka Doncic inspired by Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in offseason body transformation
After the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, Luka Doncic immediately began doing two-a-day workouts to get into better shape.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick challenged his team to improve their physique this offseason, and Doncic has made that a top priority as he enters his first full year in L.A.
The early results have been stunning as Luka appears to be in the best shape of his life, which is a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
Doncic said he has tried to emulate two of the greatest NBA players of all-time in Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant with his training regimen.
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