Luka Dončić recruiting for Lakers ahead of contract extension decision

New York Times

20-07-2025

The single biggest piece of Los Angeles Lakers business, bigger than Jeanie Buss selling the team, bigger than the LeBron James drama, bigger than Austin Reaves' declined contract extension and bigger than landing a starting center, has yet to occur.
Luka Dončić, who became the face of the Lakers' present and future the moment Rob Pelinka and the organization shocked the NBA by acquiring him from Dallas last February, is eligible to sign a contract extension with the franchise on Aug. 2.
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While Dončić hasn't directly addressed his future with the franchise this summer — time he's spent in Europe putting together an all-time revenge glow-up, one skinny picture at a time — his actions behind the scenes crystalize why the Lakers are confident with how things stand.
Doncic, according to league sources, had communicated his desires for a capable rim-running center, shooting help and defensive support. The Lakers responded by filling those needs with Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and, soon, Marcus Smart.
Welcome home, Deandre and Jake 💜 pic.twitter.com/V2U56EnrFX
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 9, 2025
In addition to that, league sources said, Dončić has been an active recruiter for the Lakers this summer and helped secure commitments from Ayton and Smart after both unexpectedly hit free agency via contract buyouts.
The Lakers also posted an interview with Dončić on Saturday (taped during the season) that ended with him saying that he hoped his legacy with the Lakers would leave him known as 'the guy that brought championships to the city.'
All of it has the Lakers moving with confidence that they're in alignment with Dončić in their plans to build a championship roster.
None of this is to say that Dončić was going to patiently wait for next summer or a talent-rich 2027 free agency crop for the Lakers to begin stacking their team. While Dončić and the Lakers understand their long-term flexibility needs, the short-term movement has, on paper, signaled a commitment to competing in the short term, provided some things break their way.
If — and it's a word you hear a lot when you speak to people about the Lakers' summer to date — a few key things happen, contention could be closer than a quick first-round exit last spring would suggest.
The argument for the Lakers goes something like this:
Whether or not the Lakers' moves are good enough to vault them up toward the Oklahoma City Thunder or allow them to keep pace with the Rockets, Nuggets and Clippers — who all made splashy moves this summer — remains to be seen. However, it does seem clear that, at least for now, they've sold Dončić on a vision he trusts.
Come the first weekend in August, he can sign an extension to cement that.