Mark Walter making Shohei Ohtani the highest-paid player in MLB history is good news for Luka Doncic ahead of a potential contract extension.
As the Los Angeles Lakers look to kickstart the Luka Doncic era, they will do so under the watchful eye of a new owner.
LA Dodgers owner and businessman Mark Walter purchased the Lakers for $10 billion from the Buss family.
Magic Johnson applauded his business partner’s new venture, as it’s one that is so close to his heart, given his work with the Lakers as a player and an executive.
Shattering the Boston Celtics’ $6.1 billion record sale price, Walter looks to take the Lakers to new heights. But he can’t do that without the support of Luka Doncic.
Luckily, Doncic endorsed Walter as the new Lakers owner, seemingly confirming his future with the team.
And it’s possible that Doncic looked at Walter’s tenure as an MLB owner for reassurance that he would be taken care of.
Mark Walter may have broken the bank to purchase the Lakers. But fans can rest assured that he will prioritize signing and keeping superstars.
Last year, Walter signed Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract in free agency. It was the biggest free-agent MLB contract in history.
This record was broken a few months ago, when the New York Mets signed Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract.
But Walter’s willingness to spend big on Ohtani, one of the best baseball players in the world, shows that he prioritizes winning and doing so with superstars.
This should be a big boost to Luka Doncic’s morale, as he won’t have to worry about Walter calling to get rid of him to avoid paying him like the Dallas Mavericks did this past February.
While Luka Doncic’s trade from the Dallas Mavericks still perplexes fans, the team’s owners played a big role in the trade.
Mark Cuban sold the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson family in 2023. And after a brilliant 2023-24 NBA season where Doncic took the team to the NBA Finals, Luka earned a big future payday.
Luka was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million contract extension with the Mavericks this offseason. However, there were some concerns about his health, fitness, and conditioning going forward.
The Mavericks didn’t want to pay Doncic $345 million because they didn’t like how he dedicated himself to taking care of his body, and feared he could become injury-prone like Joel Embiid.
This led to the fateful choice where the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic. The good news for Doncic is that the Lakers’ new owner won’t make the same mistake.
Doncic will likely sign a contract extension with the Lakers, even though he can’t sign a full supermax.
Brian Windhorst has urged Doncic to re-sign with the Lakers soon, when he is able to later this offseason, ahead of an early August deadline.
By signing a short-term extension, he keeps his options open and can sign the full supermax when eligible with the Lakers.
