Lakers star Luka Doncic likely to sign $165 million extension soon
Luka Doncic could be signing a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Lakers as early as next month, according to NBA insider Jovan Buha.
The 26-year-old superstar, who the Lakers traded for back in February, isn’t a free agent yet but can sign a new deal starting August 2nd.
“Everything I’ve heard behind the scenes has been positive,” Buha said during his Lakers Mailbag segment. “I expect Luka to sign probably the shorter-term extension.”
Doncic has quickly become the new face of the franchise since arriving from Dallas.
One small hiccup? The Lakers trading away Dorian Finney-Smith, one of Doncic’s closest friends in the NBA.
“I don’t know that he loved losing DFS,” Buha noted. “That was one thing that I don’t think was great with this whole situation.”
Despite that bump in the road, the relationship between Doncic and the organization seems strong.
“I know he’s been very happy, and his representation’s been very happy, and management’s been happy, and everyone’s been happy,” Buha added.
The timing might be flexible, with Doncic possibly waiting until after EuroBasket or even closer to the season to make things official.
Doncic has options. He could sign a four-year, $229 million max extension, but seems to prefer the shorter three-year deal that includes a player option for the final season.
Why go shorter? It lets him hit free agency sooner and potentially make up the $345 million he lost when Dallas traded him.
If he doesn’t sign an extension at all, he’ll become a free agent in summer 2026.
Doncic made an immediate impact in his 28 games with the Lakers last season. He put up impressive numbers: 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game.
He shot a solid 43.8% from the field and knocked down nearly 38% of his three-pointers.
The five-time All-Star missed almost seven weeks of action last season with a strained left calf he suffered on Christmas Day while still with the Mavericks.
