Los Angeles Lakers fans can rest easy knowing that superstar Luka Doncic just signed a 3-year extension. That will keep him with the team until at least 2028, though he can opt out after three seasons and become an unrestricted free agent. While that might give Lakers fans some pause, it’s likely all apart of the plan.
What’s so interesting about the contract that Doncic signed is that it’s a 2 + 1 deal. That means that there will be two years tacked onto the last remaining year of his current contract.
After that, he can opt out of the final year of his extension and become eligible for a supermax contract. With 10 years of experience by then, a supermax contract would pay him 35% of the salary cap.
This now keeps Doncic out of free agency next summer and committed to the Lakers — and makes him eligible for a projected five years and $417 million in 2028. https://t.co/V10h5cdxDe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2025
The Lakers cleverly locked Luka Doncic up to a long-term deal
With a projected 2027-28 salary cap of $173,250,000, that would mean that the first year of a Doncic supermax contract would start at around $60.6 million.
I’m not an accountant, mind you, but that is plenty of incentive for Doncic to stay in L.A. After all, he can only receive a supermax contract by staying with the Lakers. Assuming he signs that deal in three seasons, he would then be under contract for another five years.
That could mean that he would be a Laker for the next eight seasons instead of just three. Considering that Doncic is only 26 years old, having him for the full length of his extension and a supermax would mean he’d be just 34 by the time he’d hit unrestricted free agency.
Doncic is already proving to be worth a supermax contract
His game should age well, and he appears to be in the best shape of his life, which should hopefully only help his longevity. Having an elite player for up to the next eight seasons is a luxury. Especially with Doncic having already begun to recruit players to play in L.A.
He convinced Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart to take less to play with the Lakers, helping to solve their weakness at center and guarding on the perimeter. With the Lakers having up to $96 million in cap space next summer, Doncic could work his magic yet again.
Overall, the Lakers were smart to give Doncic a 2 + 1 deal. It not only guarantees that he will be in L.A. for the next three years but makes it easier for them to give him the super max and lock him up for five years beyond that.
