One of the most consistent stories coming out of the Los Angeles Lakers camp this summer was their unwillingness to have significant money beyond the 2025-26 season. They wanted to build what they felt was a strong team now, while keeping future flexibility open to eventually build a true contender around Luka Doncic.
One of the reasons for this was — at the start of free agency in late June — Doncic had no long-term commitments to the Lakers. He was technically entering the final season of his contract, due to a player option on the last year, and could become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. That, among other things, left the Lakers hesitant to make massive multi-year commitments.
But then in August, Doncic signed an extension that will tie him to the franchise for at least another three seasons. He can become a free agent during the summer of 2028. And that contract extension has reportedly altered the Lakers way of thinking when it comes to trades and long-term money, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic:
According to team and league sources, the Lakers’ stance on roster improvements heading into this season has shifted because of the start of this new chapter together.
While the Lakers had resisted scenarios in which the team would take on contracts that lasted beyond the 2025-26 season earlier this summer, Dončić’s multi-year commitment has nudged LA’s priorities in more aggressive directions.
Doncic’s remarkable run at EuroBasket also may have had an impact, as the slimmed down version of Luka was an unstoppable force on the international stage:
The combination of Dončić’s contract, his improved physical condition and the EuroBasket run delivered a not-too-subtle reminder that planning for the future might get in the way of an opportunity in front of the Lakers now.
It’s still not a given that the Lakers will abandon the caution they’ve used as they built this version of the roster around short-term and expiring deals. However, what they have seen from Dončić over the last month has the organization reassessing things.
This is the second report this week stating the Lakers’ willingness to take back long-term money with Andrew Wiggins on the Miami Heat being a potential trade target.
The Lakers have approached offseasons and trade deadlines with significant caution ever since their ill-advised deal for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2021. So it’s possible they will continue doing that so long as the current decision-makers are in charge.
But perhaps Luka’s commitment to the franchise, his own body and his showing at EuroBasket really can be a signal to the Lakers that they can take risks to become legitimate championship contenders.
Luka Doncic angry but proud of Slovenian team
Luka Doncic showed the entire world that his body transformation wasn’t just for show as he led an underdog Slovenia team to the elimination rounds of FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
Doncic was at the center of Slovenia’s upset win against Italy, doing everything he could on both ends of the floor to ensure his team would win. Unfortunately for him and his teammates, they ran into Germany in the quarterfinals and were eliminated from EuroBasket after losing 99-91.
Doncic put up a valiant effort against the loaded German team featuring several NBA players, recording a near-triple-double of 39 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. The counting stats are absurd and it goes to show how much heavy lifting Doncic needed to do to drag Slovenia that far into the tournament.
Following the loss to Germany, the Slovenian star expressed he was angry and believed he could have done more, although ultimately he was proud of his team.
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