Luka Dončić ‘ecstatic’ to join Lakers, ready for ‘long-term future’ in Los Angeles

The Lakers look like they could be set for the foreseeable future with Luka Doncic reportedly excited to be in SoCal.

If there was any sort of hang-up or worry about trading for Luka Dončić, it was centered around the fact that he could opt out of his contract after the 2025-26 season.

When Rob Pelinka pulled off his masterclass in negotiating this deal, he reportedly mentioned that the Lakers couldn’t know before completing the deal whether Luka would want to remain in Los Angeles after 2026.

Well, shocker, but he does.

It turns out that living in Southern California and playing with LeBron James on the Lakers is pretty appealing. While it’s all still very early, signs are pointing to the partnership between Luka and the Lakers is going to be a long one.

In Monday’s piece by Fred Katz, Sam Amick and Joe Vardon for The Athletic, it was reported that Luka is very happy to be in Los Angeles

Now that the trade is official, answers are emerging. Dončić is ecstatic about joining the Lakers, and all early signs point to a long-term future with the team, a league source said.

There are a couple of different options that could play out if Luka was to sign a long-term deal with the Lakers. Our own Bryan Toporek detailed some of them in his recent piece looking at the post-LeBron future of the franchise:

He’s no longer eligible to sign a five-year, $345.3 million supermax extension this offseason in the wake of this trade, but he could sign a four-year, $228.6 million extension with the Lakers.

If he decides to test free agency in 2026, he’d be eligible for a five-year, $296 million deal from the Lakers or a four-year, $219.4 million contract from any other team.

There’s also a more likely scenario of Luka signing a 2+1 deal to get him to the season he’ll be eligible for a 35% max contract:

While Dončić is eligible to sign a four-year extension this summer, he might prefer to sign a shorter-term deal that would allow him to sign a 35% max contract as soon as he’s eligible in the 2028 offseason.

He thus might elect to sign a three-year max extension with a third-year player option rather than a full four-year deal this offseason or a five-year contract in 2026.

The latter option feels more likely as it nets him more money long-term, but either option is appealing to Laker fans.

It’s all still very, very early in this relationship, but at the very least, the Lakers and Luka are starting off on the right foot in what will hopefully be a long, long partnership.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.