Mar 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to a call from referee Courtney Kirkland (61) against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

NBA Writer Hands Lakers Clear Grade for Luka Doncic Decision

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 11:13 PM ET

What do you do if you make a blockbuster trade in shocking fashion to land one of the most prominent young players in the game? You lock them up long-term as soon as they are eligible.

The Los Angeles Lakers did that with Luka Doncic , months after they acquired the star guard from the Dallas Mavericks during the 2024-2025 NBA season.

In a recent roundup of NBA offseason grades, the Lakers landed an obvious “pass” for securing a long-term future with Doncic.

The Reason for the Grade

via ESPN: "Part of the reason the Lakers were perfectly positioned to take Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks six months ago was that they could be relatively certain he wouldn't depart as an unrestricted free agent in summer 2026. Lakers exceptionalism remains alive and well.

The Lakers reportedly used Doncic's potential to leave to help keep their remaining first-round picks out of the trade package. Still, it quickly became evident that even if he preferred to stay in Dallas, Doncic was willing to sign up beyond the remaining full season on his contract."

Doncic’s three-year extension will be worth over $160 million. He’ll wrap up his original contract, making a reported $45.9 million for the 2025-2026 NBA season.

Then, when the 2026-2027 season tips off, Doncic will begin his new deal with an estimated $49.6 million. His player option in 2028 will be for $57.5 million.

The Lakers simply had to pay it. If they didn’t do it, somebody eventually would. LA’s front office would’ve caught the same heat as the Dallas Mavericks for not securing a long-term future.

After getting traded to the Lakers last season, Doncic appeared in just 28 games. He averaged 28.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists In the Lakers’ five playoff games, Doncic produced 30.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.

It was a small sample size, but Doncic has proven to be one of the NBA’s premier talents on offense well before he landed on the West Coast.

Throughout his 450 career games, Doncic has averaged 28.6 points, 8.2 assists, and 8.6 rebounds. The Lakers are banking on the idea that he’ll continue to star for them, as he works on getting back into the Western Conference Finals, helping to make the Lakers’ first Finals push since 2020.

With LeBron James still in the picture, the Lakers hope the Luka extension pays off rather quickly, as they want to help LeBron get one more before he hangs it up.