
2025 NBA Odds: Lakers, Dončić Odds Shorten After Magazine Cover Reveal
Dončić is the cover athlete in the latest edition of Men's Health Magazine, and since he revealed his svelte, new physique, the star's MVP odds have also moved up the board.
Currently, the Lakers' championship futures are +1400 at DraftKings Sportsbook, moving from +1600 just two weeks ago.
On July 17 at DraftKings, Dončić was sitting fourth at +800 to win the league's most coveted individual honor.
Now, he's third at +650, behind Nikola Jokić (+250) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+250), and moving ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo (+700).
Let's check out some of the other Lakers and Dončić odds at DraftKings as of July 29.
Dončić Clutch Player of the Year
+1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Dončić Western Conference Finals MVP
+1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)
Dončić Finals MVP
+2000 (bet +2000 to win $210 total)
Lakers Win Western Conference
+1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Lakers No. 1 Seed Western Conference
+3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
JJ Redick Coach of the Year
+1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Will Dončić's slimmed-down frame be worth its weight in gold when it comes to boosting the Lakers' chances at winning it all next year?
At least one expert thinks so.
"I think he looked at LeBron and said this guy is naturally gifted … I want to get there," co-host Chris Broussard said on "First Things First" about Dončić's physical transformation.
"If he does come back looking like he did in that magazine in that kind of shape, the Lakers are a real threat," Broussard added. "Luka is great period. Luka was great last year — overweight, coming off injury, sad … and not playing defense.
"If he's in this kind of shape … I just think they have enough, and they have a legitimate chance."
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
recommended
Item 1 of 3 Get more from the National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Luka Doncic looking forward, not back, in signing extension with Lakers
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — One year ago, Luka Doncic could not have envisioned this moment. He expected to follow in Dirk Nowitzki's footsteps as a lifelong Maverick. Instead, there he was Saturday in the Lakers' practice facility, wearing a suit and having just signed a contract extension, talking about chasing a ring in purple and may have taken a minute to get there after a shocking mid-season trade, but now Doncic is where he wants to be — in Los Angeles, with the Lakers. "I was kind of thinking, obviously not at 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 a trust in each other, so honestly, I decided pretty quick." After he made that mental decision there was not much drama leading up to Saturday, when Doncic chose the Lakers, putting his signature on a three-year contract max contract extension that could be worth up to $165 million (but more likely ends up around $160.8 million, based on the NBA's salary cap projections). "Six months ago to the day, the Los Angeles Lakers chose Luka Doncic through a trade where he came to our franchise," Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said. "Today, Luka Doncic chose the Los Angeles Lakers." 'Skinny' Luka The talk of the Lakers' offseason has not been Doncic's contract extension, but his post-trade revenge body — Doncic looks noticeably thinner and conditioned, even when wearing a suit. Doncic talked about his process this offseason. "For the first month, I didn't play basketball at all," Doncic said of his conditioning plan, echoing what he told Men's Health magazine. "We were more focused on other things. So I think that kind of sparked, the first five days was really hard without basketball. I actually didn't know what to do, but after it was easier. But physically, weightlifting, balancing, those stuff, and then after one month we started playing basketball, too." As for the trade sparking a "revenge body" transformation, Doncic tried to sidestep the idea. "I would just say, it was like a fresh start for me," Doncic said. "Obviously, I was on my way of doing it [already], but it was just kind of a fresh start. I had a little more time to get my mind on basketball, just doing other things. So, I would just say, like, a fresh start for me." Doncic talks titles It's hard to escape the history in the Lakers' practice facility. The banners from the team's 17 NBA titles hang over the courts, while the walls are lined with the retired names and numbers of Hall of Fame Lakers legends — Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and many more. Doncic doesn't shy away from that, he leans into it, saying multiple times he wants to add to the banners and see his name on the wall of this facility someday. He also thinks this Lakers roster has a chance to be special. "Honestly, I think we have a great team," Doncic said. "We have what we need to compete for the championship. I'll bring whatever I can... We got some new great guys being on the team. We're going to go for it." The Lakers, who had for years tried to build a roster to maximize LeBron James' skill set, shifted to building around Doncic after the trade. That meant bringing in a rim-running center this summer and trying to add 3&D wings who can knock down shots and space the floor, taking advantage of Doncic's pick-and-roll mastery. "In conversations with Luka, it was really important for us to get a rim, lob-catching center," Pelinka said. "And we feel like getting Deandre Ayton was huge. It's going to unlock so much in Luka's game. As you can tell in the pick-and-roll reads, he's the best in the world, and I think Deandre is going to really help. "And then, our thesis for our roster was to get younger. And I think getting some 3&D players like Jake LaRavia that we could add at his age [23], 42% shooter [from 3], having wings that can shoot and play on both sides of the ball, I think is also really important. And then being able to add Marcus Smart, Defensive Player of the Year a couple years ago. I think there's a chip on his shoulder to be back at that level and put the league on notice. "I think having players like that surrounding both Luka and LeBron, guys that can defend multiple positions is really important. So we like the upgrades we were able to make to the roster."Whether those upgrades are enough in a stacked Western Conference will play out when the NBA season opens in 80 days. In the short term, after a night celebrating this new contract (saying it was a "surprise" what was planned for him), Doncic is off to Slovenia to compete with his national team at EuroBasket. Doncic's love for his country and his passion for representing it should never be questioned. Now, neither should his desire to be a Laker — he has now chosen them.


New York Times
24 minutes ago
- New York Times
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka: It would be ‘great' if LeBron finishes career with team
Speaking to the media for the first time this offseason, Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said it would be 'great' if LeBron James were able to finish his career with the Lakers. 'In terms of LeBron's career, I think the number one thing we have to do there is respect he and his family's decision in terms of how long he's going to play. I think that's first and foremost,' Pelinka said. 'And we want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable on that.' Advertisement Pelinka spoke to the media Saturday during a news conference celebrating Luka Dončić's three-year contract extension with the franchise. James is entering the final year of his contract with the Lakers, a deal he opted into at the end of June. After opting in, James' agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, issued a statement that some interpreted as a sign of unhappiness. 'LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships,' Paul told The Athletic in June. 'We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie (Buss) and Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.' James has not asked for a trade or a contract buyout, team and league sources have said. He'll turn 41 on Dec. 30. While the Lakers have avoided using future draft capital this summer, the team added former first-round picks Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia in free agency, with only LaRavia eating into the team's cap space next summer. 'Yeah, so all the interactions we've had with LeBron and his camp, Rich (Paul) in particular, have been positive and supportive. So very professional and Rich has been great,' Pelinka said. 'The dialogue with him has been open and constant.' The Lakers, according to team sources, have prioritized flexibility as they try to build the best team around Dončić. Saturday, Pelinka co-signed that strategy, saying the team is in the best position it could be. 'Make no mistakes, we're in 'win championship now' mode always. But I think I don't want to bore people with apron talk. I think the basketball public has enough of that. But in the new system that we're in, having optionality is key to building teams. We have seen some teams get stuck in the aprons, and once you're in them, it's hard to get out of them. We've been very intentional with keeping our optionality to make now moves if there are good now moves to make or to have our flexibility in the future. But I say all that, that the optionality is there for us to use now if the right comes its way. We want to make smart moves. But to be in a position of flexibility versus being stuck is really promising for how we're going to build this team moving forward.'


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Luka Doncic's contract extension sets up Thunder-Lakers rivalry for foreseeable future
Touring around the country to show off getting in shape, Luka Doncic finally landed in California to lock down his long-term future. The entire NBA had Aug. 2 circled on its calendar as the likely last piece of news for the rest of the offseason. Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. He'll have a 2028-29 player option that he can decline to sign an even bigger five-year, $417 million extension that'll take up 35% of the Lakers' cap space. When the Lakers shocked the NBA world in their 2025 trade deadline acquisition of Doncic, most had in mind they made the move to keep him around for the long-term future. The 26-year-old is the perfect NBA superstar to carry the baton from LeBron James as Los Angeles' franchise player. Now, that's official six months later. After they captured the NBA championship last month, the Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season as the top dog. The rest of the league will look up to hope and usurp the Larry O'Brien trophy from their possession next year. Doncic's extension now includes the Lakers in that group for the foreseeable future. Expect the Thunder to keep their championship window smashed open for a while. After their parade, they signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to contract extensions that'll keep them in OKC through at least the rest of the 2020s. With that business settled, you might as well pencil in the Lakers as a threat. Doncic has always had the Thunder's number. He eliminated them in their Round 2 playoff series last year against the Dallas Mavericks. In two April games near the end of last year's regular season, he showed out and almost led the Lakers to two straight wins against the eventual NBA champion. Basketball is the one sport where one individual player can completely change the trajectory of an NBA franchise. You've seen it in OKC with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's unconventional rise to superstardom. Now you'll see it with the Lakers and Doncic as he turns what was previously a muddy long-term future into a perennial contender for the rest of the decade. If recent history can forecast the future, the Thunder and Lakers will clash and create some high-entertainment basketball. Hopefully with some playoff series classics sprinkled in, too. There's no love lost between Doncic and OKC. Even though they were gentlemen-swept in Round 1, Los Angeles was a popular pick to be the West team to eventually upset OKC. Of course, that never materialized. The Thunder went on to win the NBA championship. They relatively cruised through the West. But there was some merit to that debate. Now, Doncic's new contract opens the chance that the two teams eventually meet in the playoffs and settle the hypothetical score. He is the type of NBA superstar who's a guaranteed 50-win player. Even in a down year, he led the Lakers to the third seed despite being with the franchise for only two months. Doncic has apparently taken his physique seriously. The Lakers made the right offseason moves this summer to build around their All-Star duo. Los Angeles is now set up to have another year where it's constantly discussed as a threat to the Thunder and their title ambitions. And they'll remain in that conversation for the next few years.