Part of the reason the Lakers were perfectly positioned to take Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks six months ago was that they could be relatively certain he wouldn't depart as an unrestricted free agent in summer 2026. Lakers exceptionalism remains alive and well.
The Lakers reportedly used Doncic's potential to leave to help keep their remaining first-round picks out of the trade package. Still, it quickly became evident that even if he preferred to stay in Dallas, Doncic was willing to sign up beyond the remaining full season on his contract.
Because of restrictions on extensions signed just before or after a trade, Doncic had to wait until Friday to make it official, but his willingness to help the Lakers recruit free agents this offseason had already signaled the inevitability of this outcome.
The lone drama here was how Doncic might structure his new contract. Signing a three-year extension with a player option for 2028-29 ideally positions Doncic to make up for the money he lost when the Mavericks traded him.
Had he remained in Dallas and signed a supermax extension, Doncic could have bumped his salary up to 35% of the cap (a projected $57.9 million) in 2026-27, having already qualified with back-to-back All-NBA appearances in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Because the supermax is not available to players who change teams after their rookie contracts conclude, Doncic is now limited to 30% of the cap or a 5% raise for 2026-27, whichever is greater. If the salary cap comes in as projected for 2026-27, Doncic will only slightly improve on his existing $49 million player option.
The big payday could come in 2028-29, when Doncic will have achieved 10 seasons of experience and can get to the 35% starting salary either as an unrestricted free agent or by signing another extension in August 2027. By then, the Lakers' roster should look very different.
Doncic is the only player under contract for more than $15 million beyond this season. Carrying that cap flexibility to summer 2027 would require significant sacrifices beyond just LeBron James. The Lakers could probably re-sign Austin Reaves, who can become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, but they will have difficult choices to face with Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton should Ayton decline an $8.1 million player option.
There are still challenges ahead for the Lakers as they continue digging out from under the mistakes made in the wake of the 2020 championship, but the most important piece is in place for the Lakers. In Doncic, the Lakers have their superstar for the future.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
