Luka Doncic may be a Laker right now, and given the team’s offseason moves, fans expect him to stay in that part of Los Angeles for a long time. However, the team needs to address the elephant in the room. Doncic is eligible for an extension worth roughly $228 million over four years by the start of August, and so far, there seem to be no signs that he will commit to the Purple and Gold.
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Reports claim that he was partly responsible for getting Marcus Smart to LA, and his presence was attractive enough for Deandre Ayton to join as well. However, Luka, apart from a few comments in press conferences, has shown no real desire to commit long-term to the Lakers franchise.
On ESPN’s NBA Today, analysts sat and discussed the fortunes of both LA teams when Ramona Shelburne claimed that the Lakers’ offseason won’t be complete until Luka signs the extension. Sure, maybe he won’t go for the full four-year, $288 million deal straight away, but even if he signs a smaller extension that makes him eligible for a larger payday later, the Lakers will have succeeded in their plans.
“To me, the Lakers have the inside track here, if they sign Luka Doncic to that contract extension,” she said. “Their summer is incomplete until we know if he extends with the Lakers when he is starting to be eligible August 2nd.”
Shelburne went on to remind the crew that the Lakers have been operating with a long-term vision centered around Luka, adding depth rather than sacrificing their current roster for an all-in push at next year’s title. She detailed how the organization has taken him to dinner and how General Manager Rob Pelinka laid out their plans for the future, with Luka at the center of it all.
“They’ve been talking in forever terms,” Shelburne reminded them. “They’ve all been talking like we are a partnership now. They took him out to dinner, Rob Pelinka’s handed him a binder, the Lakers have plans to go visit him in Slovenia this summer, they’re gonna go to EuroBasket, this is not a player that’s looking like he’s gonna leave as a free agent next year.”
The discussion stemmed from which LA team has had the better offseason so far, and all signs point to the Clippers winning that particular battle. Unless Luka commits pen to paper with the Lakers, the network’s top analysts believe the Clippers will be the better of the two LA sides by the time next season rolls around.
