Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Rob Pelinka knew he was rolling the dice with Luka Doncic trade

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 6:30 PM ET

When Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka approved sending Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, he did so knowing that Luka Doncic had one more guaranteed year left on his deal. Doncic has a player option for 2026 worth $48.9 million.

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Lakers must now convince Doncic to sign a contract extension with the franchise. Windhorst noted how Doncic had never shown any indication that he saw the Lakers as a long-term destination for himself.

“The pressure is on the organization between now and August 2 to get Luka [Doncic] to sign that extension,” Windhorst said on a Feb. 20 episode of "First Take." “That's where the pressure is because he doesn't have an incentive to sign in L.A. He never said, ‘I want to be a Laker.'… This hit him out of the blue. It cost him $100 million. He's gotta see how they build this team around him and what they do in June and July for when August 2 comes. The Lakers ain't winning a championship this year, their big, big, big moment is whether or not Luka commits to the future.”

.@WindhorstESPN says the pressure is on the Lakers between now and August 2nd "to get Luka to sign that extension."

"He never said, 'I want to be a Laker.' ... He's gotta see how they build this team around him." pic.twitter.com/wN46RX5LV3
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 20, 2025

It's fair to assume that Pelinka touched base with Doncic before agreeing to a deal that would send the 25-year-old star to Los Angeles. Nevertheless, Doncic must feel empowered by the franchise if he's going to stick around. After all, he's spent his first three games in a Lakers jersey being uncharacteristically passive, registering fewer than 16 points in each of those outings.

Doncic has an opportunity to become the face of arguably the most popular NBA team in the world. Signing an extension would ensure Pelinka has the time and motivation to build a roster that suits Doncic's skill set.

However, should Doncic decide against signing a contract extension, the Lakers will be in a tough spot. There's no world in which they would trade him so soon after bringing him to the franchise. Yet the risk of losing him for nothing, and the embarrassment that would bring, has to be a genuine concern for the front office.

Pelinka needs Doncic to sign an extension. That was always going to be the dice roll when making the trade. Doncic holds all of the cards in this instance, which is likely why Pelinka moved quickly when trading for Mark Williams, even if it didn't pan out.

Los Angeles will be a major topic of conversation in the coming months. Doncic, LeBron James and JJ Redick will all be under a microscope. The franchise won't truly be able to move forward until Doncic signs on the dotted line. Still, if those are the terms for adding a top-five player of his generation, then you make that move 100% of the time.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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