Luka Doncic recently inked his three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Lakers that put him on the top 25 list of player career earnings of all time, less than a decade into his playing career.
He will become eligible for a historic extension at the end of this contract that could see him potentially earn $417 million in five years, making his average annual salary in excess of $80 million. Now, sources claim that the Slovenian superstar wants to decline his $57.58 million player option to accelerate his speed of breaking the NBA record.
According to Ashish Mathur of Lakers Daily, Doncic wants to lock in his long-term future with the Lakers and make NBA history in 2028-29 by becoming the first player to sign a $400 million+ valued contract. Jayson Tatum currently holds the record for the highest valued extension overall (not in annual average value of the contract).
Lakers’ Potential Plans After LeBron James Leaves
The next two seasons will potentially see LeBron James retiring from NBA basketball, or at least leaving the Lakers after the end of 2025-26. Rich Paul’s comments have made it clear that James is seeing out the final season of his contract with the purple and gold and won’t be traded this season.
Therefore, Doncic will need a co-star alongside him to lead the Lakers for the foreseeable future when James retires or leaves. Fans on social media have been speculating on whether a superstar like Nikola Jokic could join him in that season.
The Lakers have openly admitted they want to keep their salary cap space free for the summer of 2027. Jokic has a player option from 2027-28; if he declines that, he could become a free agent at the same time as when the Lakers want to make their big move.
Earlier this summer, Jokic refused to sign a contract extension with the Nuggets. While sources claimed it was because he will be eligible to earn $80 million more if he signs an extension next summer, fans have refused to give up on the hope that Jokic might just see out his contract with the Nuggets and eventually join the Lakers as a free agent.
Nikola Jokic would not be eligible to sign the $292 million supermax extension if he leaves the Nuggets to join Doncic. He will only be eligible for the range of a four-year, $240 million contract, which leaves $52 million on the table if he sticks to his loyalty.
It is important to note that in 2024, Jokic was asked about potentially teaming up with Doncic after the All-Star Game. He said Doncic would have to leave the Mavericks because he is not leaving the Nuggets. But if the destination has changed to LA now instead of Dallas, maybe the Joker changes his mind?
So the dilemma here for Jokic would be if he values money and loyalty to his team more than his friendship and desire to play with Luka Doncic. We have all seen how close the duo is, especially during the NBA All-Star games. Therefore, this would not be an easy decision for Nikola Jokic if he is considering this in the first place.
