When Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka decided to make a franchise-altering trade to acquire Luka Doncic, he needed to convince the superstar that L.A. would be his long-term home.
The Slovenian star was slated to be a free agent during the 2026 offseason, where teams were positioning themselves to free up cap space to pursue him. Nowadays, the upper-echelon talent of the NBA typically does not leave in free agency, but there was a sliver of hope for teams that Doncic would be an exception to the rule.
However, that optimism was short-lived as the 26-year-old came to terms on a three-year, $165 million extension with the Lakers on Aug. 2, the first day he was eligible.
At his press conference to announce the extension, Doncic revealed that his mind to sign it was made up pretty quickly after the trade went down.
“I was kind of thinking, obviously not in the moment when I got traded. But later on, when I started playing, I wanted to be here,” Doncic said. “Like I said, this is an amazing organization, we have trust in each other. So, I honestly decided pretty quick.”
Seeing how Dallas was his home for seven years, it can be hard to be open-minded about a new start when staying in one spot for that amount of time. But once Doncic got in front of Lakers fans in Crypto.com Arena and saw how they welcomed him, he knew he wanted to remain a Laker.
“Honestly, my first moment was my first game,” Doncic said. “I didn’t play for five, six games, I don’t know exactly how much. But the way they received me, the fans, the team, it was unbelievable. So, in that moment, I felt something different. So, I was really excited.”
The bright lights of L.A. are not for everyone as fans expect championships and a winning team every season. Doncic is embracing that though as he came off his first NBA Finals appearance in 2024 and wants to get back to that moment and get over the hump.
There is no better spot to do that than with the Lakers, but it will not be easy in a Western Conference that saw multiple teams improve. Although, nothing is off the table as Doncic is still reaching his peak and coming into next season in impressive shape.
LeBron James FaceTimed Luka Doncic to congratulate him on extension
A lot has been made about LeBron James and his immediate future with the Lakers and whether he would ultimately retire in L.A. For the time being, James is committed to the Lakers and seeing how this roster looks come October.
A reassuring sign of that is the four-time champion took the time to FaceTime Luka Doncic and congratulate him on his new extension despite not being in attendance at the Lakers practice facility.
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