The Los Angeles Lakers are Luka Doncic’s team now. LeBron James is gone, and the team’s key offseason additions all seemed to be made in order to fit around the superstar guard.
While that is all absolutely the case, it doesn’t mean everything is perfect for Doncic in Los Angeles, and because of the shorter-term nature of his current contract, teams around the NBA are monitoring and positioning themselves to pounce should he ever become available, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“And look, just like Joker can profess his loyalty to the Nuggets, there’s still going to be teams that are positioning themselves and monitoring that and all that kind of thing. It’s the same thing with Luka. He’s done nothing but express optimism and excitement about the Lakers since he signed that extension. But it’s not that long-term of an extension. You better believe there’s teams around the league that are looking at that situation and saying, ‘Hey, if this thing goes sideways, we’d sure like to get Luka midway through his prime,”
The 27-year-old Doncic’s three-year, $165 million contract extension signed with the Lakers last August begins next season (2026-27) and includes a player option after the 2027-28 campaign. He averaged 33.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 8.3 APG across 64 games played last season.
Doncic has, as McMahon mentioned, seemed extremely happy about being the face of the franchise in Los Angeles. That being said, what ultimately matters most to superstars is championships, and he’s still searching for that.
The Lakers have the makings of being a strong team in the Western Conference, though it is fair to question whether they have enough to match up with heavyweights like Oklahoma City and San Antonio, along with other elite teams in Denver, Houston, and Minnesota.
So while Doncic won’t be going anywhere in the near future, if Los Angeles doesn’t make a deep run in 2026-27, then the pressure and noise around this situation will only grow louder.
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