Luka Doncic, who will become extension-eligible this summer, will have several different options available to him if he wants to sign a new deal with the Lakers. His maximum contract as of August 2 would be worth a projected $229MM over four years, but it might be more favorable for him in the long term for him to sign a three-year deal with a third-year option that would allow him to opt out in 2028, when he has 10 years of NBA experience and qualifies for a salary worth 35% of the cap.
Team sources tell Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic that the Lakers would be amenable to whatever kind of contract Doncic wants, while sources close to the star guard tell ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he’ll likely take his time with the decision.
A source close to Doncic tells ESPN that the five-time All-Star feels “wanted” in Los Angeles, so it seems possible that he’ll make some sort of commitment to his new team this summer. For what it’s worth, LeBron James told ESPN that he’d love to see Doncic in Los Angles long term but won’t be trying to influence his teammate’s decision.
“No, that ain’t my job,” James said, per McMenamin. “I think … I don’t think, I know, Luka knows how I feel about him. And ultimately, that trade happened for the future. That’s not for me. Luka has to decide what he has to do with his future. He’s (26) years old, I’m 40, so he can’t be basing his career off me. That’s just real.
“But I hope, obviously, (he stays long term). Laker fans f—ing love him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he’s got to make a decision for him. S–t, I ain’t going to be around much longer.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- James will have a contract decision of his own to make this summer, and while a return to the Lakers seems likely, team and league sources who spoke to Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic wouldn’t entirely rule out the possibility of the four-time MVP finishing his career elsewhere. Assuming he remains in Los Angeles, LeBron isn’t expected to consider taking a pay cut, according to Buha and Amick. A year ago, James shaved approximately $2.7MM off his max deal to help the team remain under the second tax apron and reportedly would’ve accepted an even bigger discount if the front office had been able to land one of the four free agent targets on his wish list (James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, or Jonas Valanciunas).
- First-year head coach J.J. Redick came under fire for his handling of the Lakers’ rotation in the first-round playoff series vs. Minnesota, as well as his abrupt exit from a press conference prior to Game 5. However, team sources tell Buha and Amick that the Lakers remain high on Redick’s future with the organization and were aware there might be some “growing pains” in year one. Redick also seems to have the full support of the locker room, with Doncic and James both expressing support for him after the team’s Game 5 loss. “I think he’s a hell of a coach,” Doncic said, per McMenamin. “I’m really glad I got coached by him these couple of months. It feels sometimes like I’m back in Europe a little bit. So I love it. We have a great bond. It’s been nothing but amazing with him as a coach.”
- Both Redick and Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka preached patience following the club’s midseason roster shake-up, as Khobi Price of The Orange County Register relays. “These things take time, particularly with the star players,” Redick said. “There’s a reason in the modern NBA history, go back the last 30, 40 years, there’s been less than a handful of All-Star players traded in-season that led directly to a championship. These things take time.” Pelinka agreed, noting that the offseason will give the Lakers an opportunity to continue building around their stars: “When you make a seismic trade at the deadline, your roster and the building around it, it’s kind of like trying to build an airplane in the sky. Now we get a chance to land that plane, put it in the hangar, and really figure out the parts of it that we need to retrofit and change. That’s what we’ll do.”
- As disappointing as their five-game playoff exit was, the Lakers provided a number of reasons for optimism and hope going forward, writes Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times.
- In case you missed it, Pelinka confirmed on Thursday that upgrading the frontcourt will be one of the Lakers’ top priorities this summer.
I have never seen an blockbuster trade work out in the first year. Especially when you lose all your size in doing it. Lakers will be better next year and maybe beyond but I would have been shocked if this team even made the conference finals. Reddick should have used an actual rotation and then not be so sensitive when people called him out on it but again I don’t think it would have changed them losing.
They have no cap space or picks. The only thing they can do is trade Reaves and that might just end up being addition by subtraction.
I don’t get that. Reaves is really good. They don’t get anywhere near the 3rd seed without him.
Curry called Luka asking where to vacation. And if hr knew where Bron was ……..
Does tonight mean Kuminga is gone ??
Or was it another migraine. Kareem would get those too. Not a good move to go back to Houston.
Warriors died by the three (15-49, while the Rockets shot 12-30), and Kerr’s hack Adams “strategy” resulted in Adams scoring 9 of his 17 pts from the ft line.
The Rockets have figured out how to beat GSW’s small ball – foul Steph with double or even triple teams (who turns it over because they don’t call it) and play the majority of the game with Sengun and Adams outrebounding the Warriors.
Like the Lakers with LeBron and Luka, having the 2 best players (which used to get respect from the refs) isn’t changing how the series are playing out this year.
Minus a 40% shooting from three night in Houston, GSW will join the Lakers. Not that they will get past the young Twolves if that happens considering their flawed roster.
Warriors don’t have the best two players in that series. Half the game is defense.
If I was Luka i would have a crazy list of demands like in the movie airheads when they ask for bea Arthur nude photos. Dude has the entire city of LA eating out of his palms.
My Top 10 favorite LeBron playoff exits (continued)……
NEXT LISTING (not yet ranked):
2011, 2-4 versus Mavs (another Finals nominee!)
—-LeBron took a ton of ‘Heat’ for his lousy performance – but, for me and what I remembered in the years that followed, it was more about the Cinderella story that was the 2011 Mavs. The 1991 Finals was more or less the first championship round I recall fairly well on a game-by-game basis. No series from the ‘90s rivaled the improbability of the Mavs defeat of the Heat. The following decade, the ‘04 Pistons and perhaps the ‘06 Heat come to mind. You can’t really throw the 2019 Raptors in the mix because of all the Warriors’ injuries. So, over the last 35 years about, only a select few title runs had the same surprise factor as Dirk’s Mavs. In terms of LeBron, my biggest takeaway was maybe he felt it best to defer to DWade, who had a MONSTER series – by far the best performance of any Heat player. It wasn’t LeBron’s first Finals, so you woulda figured nerves wouldn’t be as much of a factor with him – hard to back that claim based on his disappearing act in those latter games. But again, it was more about rooting against the Heat as a whole, which is why this nominee will likely be lower on the list. LeBron wasn’t QUITE yet public enemy #1. He essentially implied to didn’t want to be the best because he teamed up with the best. But he wasn’t yet PE#1.
#1: 2017 (Finals)
#2: 2023 (WCF)
#3: 2014 (Finals)- leg cramps in San Antonio series?
________________
Unranked as of now: 2021 (WCFR)
Just added: 2011 (Finals)
Redick isn’t off base. In-season deals are effective to add role players, not stars or principal offensive options. DET-2004, I believe, acquired Rasheed Wallace in season and won the championship (RW wasn’t an All Star that year, but had been and would be again, and that season did automatically become the team’s top interior option). I can’t think of another. The number of teams that have tried are too numerous to name.
Even teams reconfigured in the offseason rarely peak in their first full year together. Only BOS-2008 did, but the only other team that may have was TOR-2019 (although TOR only had the one year with Kwahi).
When was the last time a team won a championship with 2/5 of their starting 5 being defensive liabilities? The lakers may as well have rolled out a traffic cone and a deck chair to cover the back of that 3-2 zone for all the layups, open 3s and offensive rebounds they gave up in the 1st quarter of G5.
According to ESPN. Redick was the next Phil Jackson after 20 games lol.
I could list 5 free agents better than Alex Len. Why not give him 5 minutes to see he had anything. Reddick seems to ve worse than Nash.
The Lakers are playing an 82 game preseason no matter what next season. All games will be viewed with a playoff eye.
That are they in shape enough to win it will haunt them all season. That was the worse thing Reddick could have said.
They have no assets to obtain anyone with and no one wants to be on that team if they can avoid it next season.