The extension of Luka Dončić: the next Lakers challenge is to find the right secondary star for Luka

It is not surprising that the Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Dončić have accepted an extension of the three -year contract for a value of $ 165 million. As reported by Espn, the third year is a player option.

We put the agreement in the context and break down where we go from here.

Announcement

The chase for another star begins now

With Dončić now signed, the Lakers will rotate towards the identification of a secondary star that in the end will take over for the 40 -year -old Lebron James.

While the Lakers have Austin Reaves, he will probably be a free agent in 2026 and his contract is worth the dramatically lower than his production on the field. Reaves, who is even more a director who needs the ball in his hands to be effective, is not necessarily a clean fit with Dončić and the organization should look for a large wing or a great man of caliber all-star to be combined with Slovenian.

Deandre Ayton, who signed with the Lakers after a buyout with the Portland Trail blazers, is likely to have been given a real possibility of settling while the center is going on, but given the uncertainty of their fit, it is too early to write its name in training in the coming years.

Announcement

With Dončić to the fold, do not make mistakes: the Lakers are on the watch with extreme urgency. They do not have time to waste if they want to maximize the first of Dončić, and this means competing for a title of this season onwards.

Dončić could be suitable for a contract from $ 417 million in 2028

Dončić has not signed an extension for what is a complete lap, and can therefore be a free agent before, if he wishes, through his player option.

By 2028, Dončić will be entitled to 35% of the limit, since it would therefore have 10 years of service, which means that it will be suitable for a five -year agreement for a value of $ 417 million, assuming that the annual increases of wage capitalization do not vary too much.

Announcement

Having said that, it certainly seems that Dončić is also keeping his options open. While the path towards almost half a billion is now arranged, it is also right to consider Dončić’s competitiveness in all this, especially as someone who was recently at the NBA finals.

If the Lakers cannot build an adequate team around Dončić in the coming years, having an out in 2028 would be a welcome resource for Dončić.

All in all, Dončić is betting on the Lakers to find it help. It is a bit optimistic given the current construction of the roster, but the 26 -year -old has decided to give the organization a real possibility of demonstrating his right optimism.

Now the burden is on the Lakers to make those expectations.