NBA Insider: 'Likely' Luka Dončić Signs New Lakers Contract with 2028 Player Option

Luka Dončić is missing out on a big payday this summer thanks to his blockbuster trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, but it's merely a case of delayed gratification, according to The Athletic's John Hollinger.

The Mavericks pulled off a stunner when they sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday for a package that includes nine-time All-Star Anthony Davis. In doing so, Dallas denied Dončić the opportunity to sign a supermax extension this summer. That would've paid him up to $345 million over five years.

Hollinger posited the five-time All-NBA guard "seems likely" to sign an extension with Los Angeles that includes a player option for the 2028-29 season. Once the 2028 offseason rolls around, he will have accrued 10 years of service time in the league, which will entitle him to sign for up to 35 percent of the salary cap.

In the short term, the Lakers are saving some money. Acquiring him now means he'll make less than he would've if he had signed a supermax with Dallas and then wound up in Los Angeles at a later date.

The downside is that the 25-year-old can potentially be in a position to command an even bigger salary starting in 2028 than his supermax would've paid him. Marks noted the figure would be around $72 million and only go up from there.

But that's not a major concern for the Lakers. They already cleared the biggest hurdle by actually getting Dončić. They'll like their odds of re-signing him down the road, and the difference between his supermax now and one in 2028 shouldn't be so great as to limit their pursuit of another star or two.