Luka Dončić signs three-year, $165-million extension with Lakers

The Lakers and Luka Dončić will be together for quite some time as the superstar signed a three-year extension on Saturday to remain in LA.

Luka Dončić will lead the Lakers for many years to come.

It’s a sentence that felt as sweet to type as I’m sure it was to read by Lakers fans. On Saturday, Luka and the Lakers inked an extension worth three years and $165 million, confirming his long-term commitment to the franchise.

Both Luka and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka had quotes on the signing in the team’s official press release.

“Today is a monumental moment for our franchise,” Pelinka said. “Luka Dončić’s future is with the Los Angeles Lakers. Luka is one of the game’s most transcendent players, and his on-court dominance and passion is without compare. From the moment Luka became a Laker, there was an immediate connection and admiration between Luka and our fanbase. You can feel it in your spirit when you attend a Lakers game. Luka is an absolute killer on the court, and blends that with a unique generosity and care for the community. Above all else, Luka will lead our franchise to pursue future championships, a goal that will forever define the Lakers.”

“I’m really grateful to the Lakers organization, my teammates and the fans for welcoming me and my family with so much support and kindness since day one,” Dončić said. “This is an amazing organization and I truly believe in what we’re building together. I’m going to keep working as hard as I can to bring another championship to Los Angeles and to make Laker Nation proud. This is just the beginning. I’m excited for what’s ahead and to keep building something special with this team.”

Earlier this offseason, our own Bryan Toporek broke down the extension options for Luka and explained why this three-year deal with a player-option was a likely route the Slovenian would take.

Getting traded from the Mavericks took a 35% max contract off the table for Dončić this offseason. To maximize his earning potential, he’d have to become a free agent as soon as he has enough years of service (10) to qualify for a 35% max deal.

Dončić just finished his seventh NBA season and has one guaranteed year left on his contract. If he signed a three-year, $165.3 million max extension with a third-year player option this summer, he could decline his $59.2 million player option in 2028-29 and sign a five-year max deal worth more than $415 million that offseason.

This is all hardly surprising news as all signs have pointed to Luka staying in Los Angeles. From the moment he expressed his love for beaches at his introductory press conference, Luka was giving plenty of hints that he wanted to remain with the Lakers.

Loyalty was an attribute that he has spoken much about, particularly when talking about feeling betrayed by the Mavs. The first time he spoke as a Laker, he referenced a long-term future in LA, which turned out to be some foreshadowing.

In the end, the pressure never really mounted all that much on the Lakers. Luka wanted to be in Los Angeles and the Lakers did more than enough to appease him. Upon his mid-season arrival, he asked the Lakers for a lob-catching center and they immediately obliged with an attempted trade for Mark Williams, leaving the Slovenian superstar impressed.

Once free agency rolled around, the team was active once more, landing a center in Deandre Ayton that had Luka excited. It was when Luka had a heavy hand in recruiting Marcus Smart later in the free agency process that it became even clearer that he was likely going to be sticking around in LA.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.