When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic, they made it clear that they envisioned a long-term partnership with the superstar and in turn, he also expressed his loyalty to his new team.
Both parties made good on that on Saturday morning when Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension to remain with the franchise.
Even though Doncic is now locked up though, that doesn’t mean the pressure is off the Lakers front office. In fact, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, he expressed to them when they met at the start of the offseason that he wants to be in contention every year he is with the team:
Doncic might have made a multiyear commitment to the Lakers, but he expects to be in contention every year. Doncic displayed his urgency through his offseason fitness regimen and taking a role in recruiting both Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart to L.A.
And he has done it by taking a partnership approach. After Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick took Doncic and his business manager, Lara Beth Seager, to dinner in May, the 6-foot-6 guard left with a greater understanding of the team’s books. The team left with a better understanding of Doncic’s desires.
“I don’t want to wait,” Doncic told the table, a source familiar with the conversation told ESPN. “I had a taste of the Finals. I am getting back there. So let’s do whatever we can now.”
Pelinka and Redick used the dinner to examine future cap space, the picks they owned, the picks they didn’t own and to discuss how to tackle their future together. Doncic was encouraged to share the archetypal players he felt the roster could use — a pick-and-pop guy, a defensive stopper, a rim protector — so the Lakers could identify realistic players to fit that mold.
The Lakers made some moves to improve the roster this offseason, notably bringing in Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, two players that Doncic helped recruit.
The Western Conference is as loaded as ever though, so it will be interesting to see if the Lakers appease Doncic and make more moves or if they head into the season with their current roster and an ability to improve before the trade deadline. As things currently stand, the Lakers aren’t considered to be in the upper echelon of contenders, although there’s no denying their roster has improved this summer.
Luka Doncic expresses excitement about Lakers extension
After news dropped that Luka Doncic would be signing an extension with the Lakers, he released a statement expressing his excitement about it.
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