Lakers Must Focus on Building Future for Luka over LeBron Amid Contract, Trade Rumors
It's been a fruitful offseason thus far for the Los Angeles Lakers, who saw LeBron James opt in for the 2025-26 season and who addressed major needs by signing center DeAndre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart.
While the Lakers have plenty of time between now and training camp in the fall, they should have only one remaining offseason priority—convince Luka Dončić to sign a long-term extension.
James will become a free agent in 2026, while Dončić will have a player option. At this point, L.A. should only be concerned with the latter player's future.
To be fair, the Lakers are reportedly happy that James decided to stay with the franchise this offseason.
"We’re just happy that he’s still a Laker,” a Los Angeles front office executive said, per Spotrac's Keith Smith.
However, James will turn 41 in December, while Dončić will only turn 27 in January. Both are still elite players, but Dončić clearly has more long-term potential.
Making Dončić the long-term face of the franchise has been Los Angeles' goal ever since it acquired him ahead of the trade deadline. Writing for The Athletic, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick reported in early May that L.A. is "amenable to whatever contract structure Dončić desires."
Dončić has a few routes he can take regarding his next contract. He can sign a four-year, $229 million extension any time after August 2, but he could also take a shorter three-year deal that might better maximize his earnings.
A three-year extension would allow Dončić to reach 10 years of service and become eligible for the 35-percent max contract a year earlier. Dončić's other option is to play out the season, opt out in 2026 and test the free-agent market. Other teams could offer, at most, a four-year, $219.4 million deal, which is less than what L.A. can offer this offseason, but they might provide more enticing opportunities.
The Lakers can't allow that to happen, not after pulling off one of the most shocking trades in recent memory and bringing Dončić to L.A. The five-time All-Star has the skills to keep the franchise relevant for the next decade-plus and, potentially, deliver a few more titles.
Dončić's newfound commitment to health and conditioning should do nothing to discourage the Lakers from making him the centerpiece of their long-term plan.
Allowing Dončić to even think about testing the market in 2026 would be a massive mistake. Yes, they're now built to be a strong contender in the West, but one injury or unfortunate series of events could cause the season to spiral. That could be enough to convince Dončić that he'd be better off playing elsewhere.
As for James, he's a big reason why L.A. could make a deep run in the postseason. However, the Lakers are ready to make this their final run with the future Hall of Famer, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
"The Lakers' widely presumed preferred scenario for their future is letting James' contract drop off their books after the 2025-26 season," Stein recently wrote (h/t Zachary Weinberger of ClutchPoints). "...[James] has not asked for a trade this offseason, he has not asked for a buyout."
General manager Rob Pelinka and the rest of the Lakers' decision-makers put every bit of their effort during the remaining offseason toward extending Dončić. James isn't getting a new contract, and he isn't getting traded either. He holds a no-trade clause, and even if he and the Lakers were both inclined to do a deal, it would be difficult.
Stein believes "at least three teams" would need to be involved to facilitate a James trade (h/t Bleacher Report's Julia Stumbaugh).
Los Angeles is also most likely done adding pieces ahead of training camp—at $1.1 million below the first tax apron, L.A. doesn't have a ton of flexibility.
James is still a terrific player, and maybe there's a chance that he'll return to Los Angeles on a team-friendly deal next offseason. Maybe a player will become available that can make the Lakers better right now. However, signing Dončić to a multi-year extension is the one move that Pelinka and Co. can still make to turn a fruitful Lakers offseason into a wildly successful one.
