By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After finishing the 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic has been vocal about wishing to stick around.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks went into details about several offseason extension candidates across the NBA, including the native of Ljubljana, confirming projections about him intending to commit his future to the storied franchise.
Doncic, 26, is likely to sign a three-year contract extension worth 165 million dollars, including a player option for the 2028-29 season, according to the latest update.
The involved parties must wait until August 2, six months after the trade sending him to Los Angeles, for such a deal. The player will be eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension with the first-year salary replacing the current player option for the 2026-27 season, instead of a three-year, $160 million extension.
Looking into the future, following the retirement of 40-year-old LeBron James, keeping a five-time All-Star would be a clear sign for the Lakers to keep contending for a championship.
Since being traded from the Dallas Mavericks, the Slovenian sensation logged 33 appearances with the Lakers, tallying 28.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per contest between the Regular Season and the Playoffs presented by Google.
With the Mavs since being selected with the third pick of the 2018 draft, Doncic logged 472 appearances.
Before moving his talents to the league based in North America, he was crowned champion, Final Four MVP, and season MVP of the 2017-18 edition of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Additional early success went into capturing a gold medal with Slovenia in the EuroBasket 2017. On a related note, Doncic is expected to extend his career with the senior national team of his country by suiting up in the EuroBasket 2025.