Luka Doncic’s recent statement has given the LA Lakers a renewed hope that the player is close to signing a contract extension.
Since being traded to the LA Lakers last season, Luka Doncic has shown why the team decided to make one of the most talked-about moves in recent history.
He was criticized for conditioning problems in the playoffs, but the Slovenian has already worked on himself and is looking a lot fitter going into the 2025-26 season.
A question that has been on the minds of fans in LA was Doncic’s contract extension as he is eligible to sign it soon. Brian Windhorst raised interesting points about the extension and how it could affect the future of the Lakers.
However, a recent move by the Lakers and Doncic’s recent statement has proven that the 25-year-old could sign a new deal soon.
According to Shams Charania, Doncic was one of the players that recruited Marcus Smart to the Lakers.
This is an indication that he intends to play with Smart next season and possibly even beyond that as he is making important decisions for the team now.
But Doncic also made another big statement in a video with the Lakers YouTube channel, where he asked how he wanted to be remembered in Los Angeles.
He said: “The guy who brought championships to the city for sure.”
The Lakers were not only busy in free agency, but they also had a major change outside the court as owner Jeanie Buss sold her majority stake to Mark Walters.
Doncic put out a message to thank the Buss family for their help and welcomed Walters to the franchise.
This showed he was set to take over the reins of the team from LeBron James.
Doncic is currently on a five-year deal and will earn $45.9 million next season. He then has a player option for the 2026-27 season, but it is unlikely the Lakers will wait that long to extend him.
The player has been in talks with the organization, and all reports have indicated that he is being informed of all the moves they make.
He could sign a four-year, $223 million deal or a three-year $161 million extension, which could set him up to sign a massive five-year $406 million contract in 2028.
Doncic is one of the best players in the league and keeping him would mean the Lakers spend a huge sum of their salary cap on a single star. But there are not many players in the league who play like him and keeping Doncic would certainly help their chances of adding a few more championships in the future.
