EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Luka Doncic's first six months with the Los Angeles Lakers were more than enough to give him a vision of a glittering long-term future with his new team.
He sees championship banners, trophies and team success while living in a cosmopolitan city and playing for a world-famous team.
He envisions his name and number in the rafters alongside every other transcendent great to wear the Lakers' gold jersey.
So Doncic took the next step toward turning his dreams into reality Saturday when he agreed to a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension through 2028 with the Lakers, bypassing a chance at free agency next summer.
“Being a Laker is an honour, and I wanted to be here,” Doncic said during a news conference under the title banners and retired numbers festooning the gym at the Lakers' training complex. “When you look up here, so many great names and what they’ve achieved. I want to be up there too one day.”
The deal should keep the 26-year-old Doncic with Los Angeles through 2028 under a player option for the final season, after which he’ll be eligible for a massive five-year extension that could allow him to recoup the max money he lost by getting traded by Dallas. The Slovenian superstar had a player option for the 2026-27 season under his previous contract.
A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed the terms to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Lakers don’t publicly announce the details of contracts.
The Lakers acquired Doncic from the Mavericks last February in a seismic trade for Anthony Davis. The five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time all-star averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game last season while teaming up with LeBron James for 50 victories and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Although his debut season in Los Angeles ended with a first-round playoff loss to Minnesota, the high-scoring guard says he greatly enjoyed his first months in Hollywood — enough to commit to the Lakers for the rest of his 20s, and almost certainly beyond.
“It’s an honour playing for this organization,” Doncic said. “Many, many great players played here, so obviously I want to add one more up there. That’s what we’re working for.”
In another sign of his reinvigorated passion, Doncic confirmed that he has been doing extensive summer conditioning and strength work after the Mavericks’ questions about his physical commitment to the sport reportedly played a role in his shocking departure from Dallas.
Doncic looked trim and athletic at his news conference, and he chuckled while saying he’ll “obviously be a little bit faster” next season.
“Just trying to help the team condition-wise,” Doncic said. “Playing a lot of minutes, a lot of games, so I think it’s going to be the best for me.”
Reaching the deal with no drama or delay is also a significant coup for the Lakers, whose future looks even brighter with Doncic under contract less than two months after the Buss family agreed to sell a controlling stake in the franchise to a deep-pocketed group led by Dodgers owner Mark Walter.
Doncic will return this fall alongside James, who will begin his unprecedented 23rd NBA season. While Doncic's preeminent importance to the Lakers has been obvious from the moment they acquired him, general manager Rob Pelinka on Saturday called Doncic “the centerpiece and the foundation piece” of the Lakers going forward.
James didn't attend Doncic's news conference, but Pelinka said the relationship between the Lakers and the top scorer in NBA history is still strong even after James' agent, Rich Paul, made pointed comments about James' desire for the Lakers to be a championship contender when James agreed to return this summer.
“All the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp have been positive and supportive,” Pelinka said when asked if he thought the Lakers would be James' final team. “The dialogue with him has been open and constant. … The No. 1 thing we have to do (with James' future) is respect him and his family’s decision. We want to respect his opportunity to come up with his timetable on that. If he had a chance to retire as a Laker, that would be great.”
Doncic's comfort with the Lakers was already obvious in his off-season activity: He played a significant role in Los Angeles' successful bids to sign Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, helping to persuade the two veterans to team up with him for the upcoming season.
Doncic said he campaigned with both players because he respected them as opponents. Ayton, Smart and several other Lakers showed up in El Segundo to congratulate Doncic on his new deal.
“Honestly, I think we have a great team,” Doncic said. “We have what we need to compete for the championship. I will bring whatever I can bring and try to win every game no matter what. We’ve got some new great guys on the team, so you know we’re going to go for it.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
