Report: Luka Doncic’s ‘uncertain’ future helped Lakers acquire him for less

Following the seismic blockbuster trade that saw star guard Luka Doncic get traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, there were plenty of folks who were surprised that the Mavericks didn’t get more in return for Doncic.

The Mavericks received star big man Anthony Davis and a promising young player in Max Christie, but Dallas netted just one first-round pick while sending away Doncic (and some smaller pieces) in the deal.

According to a recent report, Doncic’s uncertain future played a part in why the Lakers were able to acquire him without breaking the bank for more. After all, Doncic has a player option on his contract for the 2026-27 campaign after he will get paid around $46 million in the 2025-26 season.

“That fact might seem like a technicality to some, as Doncic is widely expected to commit to a long-term Lakers future at some point,” The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick wrote. “But the Lakers learned a long time ago that star players don’t always decide to stick around, as they traded with Orlando for Dwight Howard in the summer of 2012 only to see him head to Houston in free agency a year later. And when it came to the Mavericks-Lakers trade talks that led to the deal, league and team sources say Doncic’s uncertain long-term status was the primary reason the Lakers were able to avoid giving up their 2031 first-round pick in the deal (Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first went to Dallas).”

Doncic helped the Lakers finish the 2024-25 regular season off on the right foot. The Lakers reached 50-plus wins for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign, and Los Angeles won 18 of the 28 games Doncic suited up in with the team during the regular season. However, Doncic and the Lakers didn’t carry over their impressive play into the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

Even with a star-studded duo of Doncic and forward LeBron James, Los Angeles still lost in the opening round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Lakers in a gentleman’s sweep, but the Slovenian still was highly productive in his first playoff series in a Los Angeles uniform. He averaged 30.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.

While the Lakers underperformed in this year’s playoffs considering they were a top-three seed in the Western Conference, Los Angeles seems to at least have the groundwork laid out for title contention in the coming years. Doncic and James stack up with any tandem in the league in terms of talent.

But at the same time, it’s unclear if James will still even be in the NBA by the time Doncic could decide to decline his player option and hit free agency. James is no spring chicken, as he’s 40 years old and has been in the league dating back to the 2003-04 season.