Insider Reveals Luka Doncic Contract Extension Offer Los Angeles Lakers can Make

Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA world on Saturday night with the Luka Doncic trade, acquiring the All-Star guard and perennial MVP candidate from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis.

It’s officially a three-team trade, with Los Angeles sending Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick to Dallas with the Utah Jaz receiving Jalen Hood-Schifino and the Los Angeles Clippers second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. As the Lakers receive universal praise from around the basketball world for the deal, new intel is coming in about what the franchise can offer Doncic to keep him for years to come.

Related: Winners, Losers from Luka Doncic trade between Los Angeles Lakers, Mavericks

  • Luka Doncic contract (Spotrac): $43.031 million salary in 2025, $45.999 million salary for 2025-’26,$48.967 million player option in 2026

In breaking down the trade, with the Lakers receiving an A, ESPN‘s Bobby Marks notes that Los Angeles is now eligible to sign Doncic to a four-year contract extension worth $229 million with an a average annual salary of $57.25 million.

However, that won’t be the only option on the table for the perennial MVP candidate. Doncic could also sign a short-term “bridge” extension valued at $165 million over three years, an AAV of $55 million. If he does that, the All-Star guard would have a player option in 2028 that could push his salary up to 35 percent of the NBA salary cap once he’s played 10-plus seasons, per Marks.

Related: Why the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers

  • Luka Doncic stats (ESPN): 28.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 7.8 APG, 46.4% FG

Whatever decision he makes, the Mavericks already took tens of millions of dollars per year off the table for him. If he remained in Dallas, Doncic would’ve been eligible for the supermax extension worth $350 million over five years ($70 million AAV).

While the Mavericks feared Doncic would potentially decline his player option in 2026 and bolt in NBA free agency, the Lakers have far more reason to believe a contract extension can happen. That’s even with the knowledge that Doncic never requested the trade and was blindsided by being sent to Los Angeles.

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Will the Lakers extend Luka Doncic?

Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The odds of Doncic signing an extension with the Lakers seem relatively high, especially when revisiting his comments ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft. As part of a profile written by ESPN‘s Mina Kimes, Doncic raved about the city of Los Angeles.

Related: Los Angeles Lakers Future Draft Picks

“LA is amazing for me. I especially like the amazing cars. I was at Venice Beach for … what was the serial there, Baywatch? And it was amazing.”

Luka Doncic on the city of Los Angeles (2018 interview with ESPN’s Mina Kimes)

As Kimes detailed, Doncic spent several weeks in Santa Barbara preparing for the NBA Draft with it reminding him of a Spanish village. He also took several trips to Los Angeles with his mom and then-girlfriend, finding areas like Holywood Boulevard, Rodeo Drive and Venice Beach incredible.

Arriving in Los Angeles also provides Doncic with the opportunity to be mentored by his idol. The five-time All-Star has been open about how he grew up watching LeBron James, trying to model his game after him. While there have been plenty of NBA rumors about conditioning issues for Doncic, James is the perfect mentor for him.

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The Lakers desperately needed a new superstar they could build around in the future and thanks to the Mavericks, they have one of the three best NBA players right now. It’s the perfect marriage for both Doncic and Los Angeles, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the two sides agree to a contract extension down the line.