After LeBron James picked up his $52.6 million player option this summer, experts believed that the most important decision for the Lakers this summer would be figuring out the contract situation with Luka Doncic.
Doncic, who was initially eligible for a $345.3 million contract extension with the Mavericks, took a massive hit on his potential paycheck when he was traded to the Lakers. He is now eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension with the Lakers, which is over $100 million less than what he could’ve earned with the Mavericks.
While sources also claimed he could take a pay cut to give the Lakers more flexibility, NBA Insider Brian Windhorst now claims that the Lakers’ front office is “stressed out” about his contract situation. He appeared on ESPN’s NBA Today show to make some revelations about the Lakers’ front office situation.
“Well, there are three max contracts that NBA players, superstars, can sign. One that’s worth 25% of the cap, 30% and 35%, depending on years of service. The first one I like to call the ‘fun max’, everyone who’s offered it, signs it—like McMahon discussed a minute ago.”
“Then there’s the stress max, this happens when it’s a player’s second max contract. This is when players sometimes leave, or are not really worth it. This is a stress max right now for Luka. The Lakers are a little bit stressed out about it. Then there’s a legacy max, when you get the 35%, you’re home free, everything is going to be great.”
“This is a stress max situation, so if he signs it, relief for the Lakers, they can spend a little time looking at their roster over the next two or three years. Making decisions that are not going to be based upon what’s best for us tomorrow, what are we going to present to Luka in 2026, we can think about what the team looks like in 27-28, etc.”
“If he doesn’t sign it, he can be a free agent next summer when there’s going to be 10+ teams with cap space. If he does not sign it, we will see teams begin to open up maneuvers to try to chase Luka.”
“And every day will go by where every sort of wobble with the Lakers— everything will be tied to the Luka contract. Especially with LeBron in the last year of his contract as well. So the Lakers don’t want that in their lives, they want the no-stress max.”
While Doncic will become eligible for his extension on August 2, Windhorst claims Lakers fans should not freak out if they do not hear any updates on it before September.
“I would not expect it to happen that early. He’s playing for the Slovenian national team. Do not freak out if you do not hear from Luka contractually until September.”
Doncic, who has averaged 28.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in the 33 games he has played for the Lakers so far, will be occupied with the Slovenian National Team in the 2025 EuroBasket this summer.
His contract situation could decide the direction the Lakers will take in the next five to ten years, as he is the new face of their franchise. If he plays his cards right, he could also be looking at a much larger payday; a potential $406 million extension awaits him.
Do you think Doncic will accept the reins in L.A. or will he refuse to negotiate a contract and move to another team in the summer of 2026? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.
