On tour throughout the nation to be match, Luka Doncic lastly landed in California to lock his future in the long run. The complete NBA had surrounded on August 2 on its calendar as the newest possible information for the remainder of the offseason.
Doncic signed an extension of a contract of $ 165 million over three years with the Los Angeles Lakers. He can have a 2028-29 participant choice that he can refuse to signal an excellent bigger $ 417 million extension which is able to occupy 35% of the Lakers ceiling area.
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When the Lakers shocked the world of the NBA of their acquisition of Doncic in 2025, most had in thoughts that that they had taken priority to maintain it for a protracted -term future. The 26 -year -old is the famous person of the NBA good for carrying LeBron James’ stick as a franchise participant in Los Angeles. Now it is official six months later.
After successful the NBA championship final month, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season as the very best canine. The remainder of the League will admire the hope and usurp the Larry O’Brien Trophy of its possession subsequent yr. The extension of Doncic now consists of the Lakers of this group within the predictable future.
Anticipate that the Thunder retains their championship window for some time. After their parade, they signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to contract extensions that can preserve them in OKC by way of not less than the remainder of the 2020s.
With this settled firm, you might as properly pencil in Lakers as menace. Dononic has all the time had the Thunder quantity. He eradicated them of their collection of qualifying collection of the second spherical final yr towards the Dallas Mavericks. In two April video games in direction of the top of the common season of final yr, he introduced himself and nearly led the Lakers to 2 consecutive victories towards the attainable NBA champion.
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Basketball is the one sport the place a person participant can fully change the trajectory of a NBA franchise. You noticed it in OKC with the unconventional climb of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the Superstardom. Now you will note it with the Lakers and Doncouic when it transforms what was beforehand a muddy future in the long run in a sustainable competitor for the remainder of the last decade.
If current historical past can predict the long run, Thunder and Lakers will come up towards and create excessive basketball. Hopefully some classics within the eliminatory collection have additionally saved. There is no such thing as a misplaced love between Doncic and OKC. Even when they have been swept by gents within the first spherical, Los Angeles was a well-liked option to be the West crew to probably upset OKC.
In fact, it by no means materialized. The Thunder gained the NBA championship. They’ve comparatively crossed the west. However there was just a little benefit on this debate. Now, the brand new Doncic contract opens the possibility that the 2 groups lastly meet within the playoffs and settle the hypothetical rating. It’s the kind of famous person of the NBA which is a assured participant of fifty victories. Even in a yr of decline, he led the Lakers on the third seeded regardless of the franchise for less than two months.
Dononic apparently took his physique critically. The Lakers made the actions of the proper off -season this summer season to construct round their stars duo. Los Angeles is now set as much as have one other yr when he’s consistently mentioned as a menace to the Thunder and their title ambitions. And they’ll keep on this dialog for the approaching years.
This text initially appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: The extension of the Luka Doncic contract units up the rivalry of the Thunder-Lakers
