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Breaking Down All Possible Contract Options For Lakers' Luka Doncic
Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Five-time All-NBA Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic's first season in L.A. ended not with a bang but with a whimper.

The 6-foot-6 pro, injured center/power forward Maxi Kleber, and former 2020 champ Markieff Morris were acquired by the Lakers in a blockbuster pre-deadline February trade that saw 10-time All-Star center Anthony Davis, 3-and-D wing Max Christie, and a 2029 first round pick land with the Dallas Mavericks, plus 2025 second-rounders from Dallas and L.A. (via the Clippers) and Jalen Hood-Schifino be shipped to the Utah Jazz.

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Doncic struggled with his fitness due to a lingering calf injury, but managed to resemble a slower version of his peak Mavericks-era self.

The Lakers tried to bring in a rim-rolling center to serve as a lob partner for Doncic when they traded a future 2031 first and rookie first round draft pick Dalton Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for center Mark Williams. The 7-footer out of Duke, 23, is still fairly raw on defense but already a tantalizing offensive contributor around the rack.

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But Los Angeles saw something it didn't like in his physical and rescinded the deal. Lakers team president Rob Pelinka pivoted, signing veteran center Alex Len to his standard roster and bringing in raw five Trey Jemison III on a two-way deal. Neither ultimately made a long-term dent, and both were out of head coach JJ Redick's rotation by year's end.

Redick instead emphasized small-ball lineups, which proved costly in the club's eventual five-game first round playoff series defeat to the lower-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.

Now, the (figurative) ball is in Doncic's court regarding how invested he wants to be in a future with the Lakers long-term.

As The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick detail, there are several ways Doncic can work out his next maximum contract starting on August 2 this summer.

He can ink a four-season, $229 million contract extension, but if he wants to recover some of the cash he lost in his trade from Dallas (he would have been eligible for a more lucrative supermax deal had he stayed with the Mavericks), Doncic could also agree to a three-year, $165 million extension, with a 2028-29 player option. In 2028, after 10 years in the league, he could decline that final season and sign a five-season, $418 million contract.

Most ominously for his Lakers future, Doncic could theoretically reach unrestricted free agency as soon as next year. He has a player option for 2025-26, and could re-sign with the Lakers on a five-year, $296 million deal, or depart for another franchise on a four-seaosn, $219 million contract.

Sources tell Amick and Buha that Los Angeles is happy to accommodate any contract Doncic proposes.

More Los Angeles Lakers News:

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Rob Pelinka Talks Lakers' Offseason Priority Other Than Big Man

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves Waste No Time Taking Shots At Lakers

Western Conference Executive Compares Lakers' Austin Reaves to Undrafted Hall of Famer

Lakers Linked to $100 Million Blazers Star as Summer Trade Target

For the latest Los Angeles Lakers news and notes, stay glued to Los Angeles Lakers On SI.


This article first appeared on FanNation All Lakers and was syndicated with permission.

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