Shaquille O’Neal gave fascinating $90m Luka Doncic prediction which could be about to come true

The NBA world was shaken this week by the news that the Los Angeles Lakers had acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in a trade.

As part of the deal, the Lakers sent five-time All-NBA power forward/centre Anthony Davis to the Mavericks, along with shooting guard Max Christie and one first round pick.

Despite the package they gave up, however, most fans and pundits were shocked that the Lakers were able to sign a player of Doncic’s calibre and standing at all, let alone without having to sacrifice more future draft capital.

Doncic is just 25 years of age, yet he is already a five-time First Team All-NBA selection – that’s more, for example, than Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry, who is 11 years older – and was just last year the driving force behind Dallas’ run to the NBA finals, leading league in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game in the playoffs.

The Slovenian point guard is a generational talent who will now wear the famous purple and gold, playing alongside LeBron James before leading the Lakers into their next era once the 40-year-old four-time MVP eventually retires.

Such is Doncic’s vast talent and sky-high potential that just last year another Lakers legend, Shaquille O’Neal, predicted that the then-Mavericks star would soon set a new record for yearly salary in the NBA.

“Luka Doncic is gonna be the first $90 million player,” O’Neal said on an episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq.

However, Doncic’s move to Los Angeles will actually hurt him financially. NBA players who remain with the team that drafted them for a minimum of seven years are eligible for a so-called “super-max” contract, so long as they have earned All-NBA selection the year before they renew their deals.

At present, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics owns the biggest super-max deal in history, having recently signed a contract that will see him earn $71 million in the fifth and final year of the agreement.

Now that Doncic is no longer with the team that drafted him – with the Mavericks having traded with the Atlanta Hawks to select the former Real Madrid youngster with the third overall pick in 2018 – he cannot command the full super-max value, potentially costing the player up to $115 million across the length of his next deal.

With the NBA’s salary cap routinely increasing as revenues rise, though, there remains a chance that Doncic might yet someday reach the level of yearly earnings O’Neal predicted – and that’s before factoring in the additional marketing opportunities the 25-year-old could benefit from upon moving to LA.