On Aug. 2, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will be eligible for a max contract extension.<\/p>\n
The Slovenia native currently has two years left on his deal, including a $48.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n
As it stands, there is still some uncertainty regarding Doncic\u2019s long-term commitment to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Until something becomes official one way or the other, this is going to be a valid concern for the front office and the fan base.<\/p>\n
Recently, former Boston Celtics champion Brian Scalabrine gave his prediction on what is next in store for Doncic and the Lakers.<\/p>\n
Scalabrine predicted that the 26-year-old will sign a long-term deal to stay in Los Angeles once he becomes eligible.<\/p>\n
Additionally, he predicted that the Lakers gave Doncic an ultimatum to get himself into shape before signing him to a new deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do believe that Luka will sign an extension for the Lakers,\u201d Scalabrine said on SiriusXM. \u201cAnd I also believe that the Lakers told him, \u2018We\u2019re not giving you an extension unless you get into shape.\u2019 And I think that\u2019s also motivating him to get into shape.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n While Doncic is technically able to sign an extension with the Lakers today, the two sides will have to wait just another week in order to give him the maximum contract allowed: $229 million for four years. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n However, it seems that this maximum contract extension is not a guarantee for the five-time All-Star (Bobby Marks of ESPN).<\/p>\n \u201cThere are multiple variations of a new extension for Doncic: A four-year, $229 million max, where the $51 million first-year salary for 2026-27 replaces the player option for that season. And, more likely: a three-year, $165 million extension that includes a player option in the third year. The short-term extension would allow Doncic to reenter free agency sooner and potentially recoup the $345 million he lost when he was traded from the Mavericks,\u201d Marks wrote.<\/em><\/p>\n Additionally, Marks also wrote that an extension of any kind is not a given, though \u201cthere should be confidence\u201d in a deal coming to fruition.<\/p>\n \u201cDoncic, for his part, confirmed to ESPN\u2019s Malika Andrews in an interview before the postseason that his intention is to remain with the Lakers. But while there should be confidence in Doncic extending, showing him what a post-LeBron James roster could look like is a major priority.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Aug. 2, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will be eligible for a max contract extension. The Slovenia native currently has two years left on his… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83953,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n