Should they play their cards right, the Lakers could carve out maximum cap space alongside new just in time for 2027 free agency, with several superstars potentially on the table, writes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link).
On Saturday, Lakers superstar Luka Doncic agreed to a three-year, maximum contract extension that could pay him up to $165MM annually. While Doncic qualified for a five-season, $336.9MM contract extension on the Mavericks, he lost that privilege upon being traded to Dallas. His briefer deal will enable him to potentially reach free agency in 2028. Ahead of what will be his 11th NBA season, he will qualify for a maximum deal worth 35% of the NBA’s salary cap, up from 30% now.
There’s more out of Los Angeles:
In a new piece, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin addresses some of the major lingering issues that have arisen in the wake of the Lakers’ Doncic deal.
With the Lakers seemingly going all-in on the 26-year-old Doncic, Dylan Hernández of The Los Angeles Times wonders how invested L.A. is in the future of 40-year-old All-NBA forward LeBron James.
The Lakers’ full six-game preseason slate has been revealed, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). Los Angeles will tip face off against Pacific Division nemeses the Suns and Warriors twice between October 3-14, before wrapping up with a game apiece against the Mavericks and Kings.