Star guard Luka Doncic saw his maiden season with the Los Angeles Lakers come to an abrupt and disappointing end in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Los Angeles lost to the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round and was thoroughly outplayed, as the Lakers got eliminated by star guard Anthony Edwards and company in a gentleman’s sweep.
Doncic’s future in Los Angeles is a relevant topic, even though it’s worth noting that he told ESPN’s Malika Andrews prior to the playoffs that he hopes to stick around with the storied franchise.
How long Doncic will play for the Lakers is unclear, but what is clear is that star forward LeBron James doesn’t think it’s his job to sway the Slovenian to stay in Los Angeles.
“No, that ain’t my job,” James told ESPN. “I think … I don’t think, I know, Luka knows how I feel about him. And ultimately, that trade happened for the future. That’s not for me. Luka has to decide what he has to do with his future. He’s [26] years old, I’m 40, so he can’t be basing his career off me. That’s just real.
“But I hope, obviously, [he stays long term]. Laker fans f—— 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. S—, I ain’t going to be around much longer.”
Doncic is in an interesting contract situation. He’s nearing the end of a contract he signed back when he was still a member of the Dallas Mavericks organization. He is under contract through the 2026-27 campaign but has a player option for that season, so he could hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026 if he so chooses.
But the Lakers can nip the uncertainty surrounding Doncic in the bud by inking him to a long-term contract extension before the start of next season. Doncic will be eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension from the Lakers in August. Another option would be for Doncic to sign a three-year, $165 million extension with L.A., which would allow him to sign a big deal in 2028.
Even if James indeed wanted to be heavily involved in swaying Doncic to remain a Laker, his words maybe wouldn’t carry as much weight as some folks might think they would considering the stage he’s at in his NBA career. James is 40 years old and probably nearing retirement, though ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported that he’s expected to play at least one more season.
It should be exciting to find out what the future holds for Doncic in Los Angeles, and hopefully he’ll still be a Laker long after James retires from the best basketball league in the world.
