Luka Doncic is loving life with the Los Angeles Lakers and just signed a three-year, $165 million extension with the franchise. Doncic also received a pleasant surprise in the form of a trip to a Backstreet Boys concert after signing the deal, and a fan showed how differently he is being treated compared to when he was with the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavericks’ assistant general manager Michael Finley had infamously snatched that beer can from Doncic after the team advanced to the 2024 NBA Finals. It felt unnecessary for Finley to do such a thing in front of cameras, and the Slovenian appeared a bit puzzled by it, too.
You better believe no one on the Lakers is going to do anything along these lines. The organization has treated Doncic extremely well from the get-go, and he thanked everyone at his press conference after signing the extension.
“I just want to say thank you, like I said in Spanish,” Doncic said. “You guys welcomed me with open arms. Thank you, Mark, thank you, Jeanie [Buss], JJ [Redick], Rob [Pelinka], the whole organization… Honestly, I can’t wait to get started.”
Doncic was also asked when he decided he was going to sign the deal with the Lakers and revealed it didn’t take him long.
“I was kind of thinking, obviously not in the moment when I got traded, but later on, when I started playing, I wanted to be here,” Doncic said. “Like I said, this is an amazing organization, we have trust in each other. So, I honestly decided pretty quick.”
Doncic has also rewarded the Lakers for placing their faith in him by undergoing quite the physical transformation this offseason. The five-time All-Star has been working on his conditioning and has altered his diet as well.
Doncic appears to have slimmed down, and an anonymous NBA coach says the league should be terrified. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if the 26-year-old finally wins his first MVP award next season.
You wonder if the Mavericks are now regretting the decision to part with Doncic over concerns regarding his conditioning and long-term health. He looks to be in the best shape of his life and is making their decision to trade him look even more ridiculous.
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts maintained during an interview with Bloomberg Television, though, that they have no regrets.
“You can’t have fear or regrets in this business,” Welts said. “It’s all about how you move forward, so it doesn’t really serve a purpose to have regrets. What I will say, I learned about the depth of the connection between Mavericks fans and this team, and that to me was half glass full because I knew we could restore that over time.
“I didn’t think it would happen quite as quickly, perhaps as it’s happened,” Welts continued. “I would also say I’m incredibly proud of how the organization presented itself for Luka’s first game back at American Airlines Center when he was a Los Angeles Laker. I think if you watch that game, it was an opportunity for fans to say thank you.
“I think you saw the emotion on Luka’s face, you saw the way that night unfolded in tributes to Luka,” Welts added. “I think he’ll always be such a big part of the history here. And we wish him nothing but good luck, but we also hope we beat his team every time we play them going forward.”
Well, the Mavericks winning the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery and getting Cooper Flagg did help ease the pain a bit for the fans. You’d imagine they would still much rather have Doncic on the team, though, and it will sting if he manages to lead the Lakers to an NBA title.
