Luka Doncic agrees to three-year max extension with Lakers; LeBron James backs front office’s plan
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic has signed a three-year maximum extension, and veteran forward LeBron James is fully behind the organization’s decision to center the roster around the 26-year-old star, ESPN’s Shams Charania said on “First Take.” The extension was finalized Saturday, the first day Doncic was eligible to extend his deal with Los Angeles.
James, who will turn 41 in December, exercised his $52.6 million player option in June and is slated to reach unrestricted free agency in 2026. Although he was not at the news conference announcing Doncic’s new contract, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader congratulated his teammate via FaceTime—a gesture first reported by Marc Stein and later confirmed by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“I hope, obviously, he stays long term,” James told ESPN on April 30. “Laker fans ***love*** him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he’s got to make a decision for him … I ain’t going to be around much longer.”
Celebration in Las Vegas
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, Doncic marked the new deal with a celebration in Las Vegas attended by new controlling owner Mark Walter, governor Jeanie Buss, head coach JJ Redick and several teammates. “He wants to get the best players here. He wants to win, and he knows it starts with him,” said Doncic’s manager, Lara Beth Seager. “I’m gonna show them who I am.”
Roster-building questions
In an ESPN roundtable, insiders McMenamin, Zach Kram, Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks discussed how Los Angeles can construct a contender around Doncic in both the short and long term. They cited rim-running centers and 3-and-D wings as ideal complements and noted the franchise’s draft assets and potential trade flexibility. Marks cautioned that the possibility of ample cap space in 2027 should not be the Lakers’ only strategy for improving the roster.
Imagem: Jayne Kamin-Oncea via hoopsrumors.com
Austin Reaves’ future
Bontemps added that the more complicated offseason decision could involve Austin Reaves. The 27-year-old guard is expected to decline his $14.9 million player option for 2026-27, entering free agency next summer. Reaves already turned down a four-year, $89 million extension—the maximum he could sign in June—in hopes of a richer contract. One league executive told ESPN the next deal could exceed $30 million annually, though multiple sources said Reaves will have to excel in the postseason after a subpar first-round loss to Minnesota. “This is a big season for him,” a Western Conference assistant coach said. “He’d better bring it in the playoffs, because he’s got to be good enough to pair with Doncic.”
The Lakers enter training camp seeking to balance James’s closing championship window with Doncic’s prime years, while monitoring Reaves’s market value and exploring ways to round out the roster.
Source: Hoops Rumors
