Despite Luka Doncic maintaining his commitment and happiness of being in Los Angeles, several NBA teams are still reportedly monitoring what might unfold between him and the Lakers.
In The Hoop Collective Podcast, ESPN's Tim MacMahon revealed that teams are watching Doncic's situation with the Lakers and would pursue him once things go "sideways" for both sides.
"Just like Joker [Nikola Jokic] can profess his loyalty to the Nuggets, there's still going to be teams that are positioned themselves and monitoring that and all that kind of thing. It's the same thing with Luka Doncic," MacMahon said.
"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, and 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 in the midway through his prime.' "
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Luka Doncic, Lakers facing pressure amid commitment to each other
Luka Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million max extension with the Lakers in last year's offseason, which includes a player option for the 2028-29 season.
Afterward, he delivered a sensational stretch, averaging a league-leading 33.5 points per game. However, his 2025-26 campaign was cut short by a Grade 2 hamstring strain, forcing him to miss the Lakers’ final regular-season games and the entire NBA Playoffs.
The Lakers are fully committing to Doncic with the departure of LeBron James this summer. The franchise has taken a massive retooling and acquired new faces to kickstart the Doncic era, including Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, Kevon Looney, and Ziaire Williams. On his own, Doncic already warmly embraced his new teammates in their ongoing minicamp and team-building hangouts in Slovenia
However, while they pulled necessary moves to satisfy Doncic, the pressure is certainly on the Lakers, especially if they can't get over the hump and fulfill the superstar's title expectations.
Amid recent major events around the organization, from Mark Walter's stunning $12.5 billion sale and the Buss family drama, these might also impact Doncic's future in Los Angeles.
In the end, despite noise and distractions from rival teams, the Lakers can only continue being aggressive in their push with Doncic at the forefront of the franchise.