The Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a contract extension with Luka Doncic, and the massive new deal is a win for the franchise. The 26-year-old superstar got three years and $165 million to remain with the Lakers. He is certainly happy, but the NBA instituted max contracts for a reason. To make things better for the Lakers, a separate rule prevented number 77 from further maximizing his earnings.
The league instituted the max contract in 1999 after Michael Jordan’s salary alone exceeded the cap. It was a way to limit how much the best players earned. This ensured others would get paid and helped keep the best players on their current teams. If Luka were a true free agent and all 30 teams were bidding, he would have received significantly more money than he got from the Lakers.
The inexplicable trade by the Mavericks cost Doncic more money and created another win for the Lakers. Los Angeles underpaid in the trade, and now Luka will earn less each year. This was an absolute heist by the purple and gold.
Lakers officially commit highway robbery with Luka Doncic extension
Doncic would have been eligible for the supermax extension if he stayed with Dallas. That would have paid him 35 percent of the salary cap over the length of the contract. When he was traded, Luka lost out on that privilege. The Lakers could only offer 30 percent. With a projected cap of $165.4 million in the 2026-27 season, Luka lost out on nearly $8.3 million in that season alone.
Los Angeles wanted Luka and was willing to give him a full max contract. The CBA prevented them from offering more than 30 percent of the salary cap in year one. Yes, Doncic will be making close to $1 million every game, but he is worth that and more to the Lakers. The franchise feels like it got an absolute steal to lock in one of the five-best players in the world.
Luka has been first-team All-NBA five times in his first seven NBA seasons, and the best is still yet to come. Fans have seen his body transformation this offseason. That will only make number 77 better. He should be the favorite to win MVP and may take over as the best player on the planet this season.
The Los Angeles Lakers are ecstatic they got Luka Doncic locked in. He is the face of the franchise and already helping them add talent. Doncic recruited Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart this summer. The Lakers will have cap space in 2026, and fans can bet the Lakers have their sights on bigger fish. Do not count the franchise out, especially with Luka fully bought in. The Lakers are back and loving that they got a bargain in extending Doncic.