The Lakers headed into this offseason mainly worrying about LeBron James and Austin Reaves’ free agency. But according to sources, they even need to worry about Luka Doncic despite his three-year, $165 million extension with the Lakers kicking in from the coming 2026-27 season.
According to Dan Woike, the senior NBA writer for The Athletic, sources around the league feel that “the Lakers are on the clock” and face the threat of potentially losing Luka Doncic if they don’t build a championship-contending roster around him this season.
Woike put out a post on social media entertaining questions he would answer in his latest report. He was asked if the Lakers are worried about Luka Doncic’s potential free agency in 2027-28 (has a player option for 2028-29) or whether they assume he would return despite making marginal moves.
“If they don’t — they need to be,” Woike wrote. “Sam Amick and I reported that the Lakers were ‘on the clock’ with Dončić right after the end of last season, and nothing I’ve heard from my sources would change that thought process.
“Dončić is in the prime of his career and was traded away from a roster built to his specifications to compete for NBA titles. And if the Lakers can’t provide that, maybe he looks elsewhere (if anybody should understand that this is business, it’s Dončić).”
“He’s under contract with the Lakers for two more seasons with a player option in the third. Before the 2028 season, he’s eligible for a mega contract that could be worth more than $417 million. That’s a lot of money to walk away from, but I think there’s an actual threat that he could have a wandering eye if the Lakers can’t deliver on the plans they presented last summer.”
“How the Lakers handle this summer, how their decisions play out, how they’re reacted to by Dončić could have ripples for years inside the organization and around the league. The Lakers don’t have to solve all their roster issues in one transaction period — but they have to start finding the answers,” Woike concluded.
The Lakers’ star finished fourth in the MVP voting for 2025-26 despite leading the league in scoring. He averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 47.6% from the field and 36.6% from beyond the arc.
Doncic could potentially get a $417 million contract from the Lakers if he opts out of this player option at the end of the 2027-28 season. But his options would then not just be limited to the Lakers.
The Slovenian superstar wants to be surrounded by elite big men who are lob threats, and also with solid ‘3-and-D’ wings to truly contend for a championship as he did with the Mavericks in 2024.
While Doncic reportedly wants the team to target Jalen Duren in free agency, the Lakers’ front office might be shifting focus towards Isaiah Stewart. They are also interested in players like Walker Kessler and Tari Eason, according to reports, but both of them are also restricted free agents this summer.
Therefore, they have a lot to decide on and navigate through this offseason. It will be fascinating to see how they counter this threat of potentially losing their superstar.
