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Luka Doncic Discussion: Lean Mean Slovenian Scoring Machine

Discussion in 'Lakers Discussion' started by KareemtheGreat33, Feb 1, 2025.

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FrontOfJersey22 - Lakers All Star -

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svtzr said: ↑

This isn’t the first time Luka got fit, after his second season he worked out and I remember all the photos being posted across twitter. The guys a generational talent and has the talent and ability to be a top 20 player of all time or better.

But it’s not ridiculous to comment that if he doesn’t take care of himself, he might not fulfill his potential. I’m optimistic, but it’s not a guarantee he’ll be obsessive about his conditioning, diet, routine by any stretch.
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I’m fine if he gets fat and happy AFTER he leads us to three Chips in the next six seasons.

FrontOfJersey22, Aug 2, 2025

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He clearly wants to win above all else, you have to love that

Weezy, Aug 2, 2025

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FrontOfJersey22 said: ↑

I’m fine if he gets fat and happy AFTER he leads us to three Chips in the next six seasons.
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I want the threepeat now!...lol

Toklat, Aug 2, 2025

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Just catching up to all of this.

so happy!

but have to ask, is there a reason he didn’t go 4 years? And are we concerned with the player option on year 3? Effectively making this a 2 year lock?

or is this all the set up for the max in 2028?

just wondering what else was theoretically and technically available for Luka to sign this morning.

timothy, Aug 2, 2025

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Set up for the max contract in 28 … you’re right.

LTLakerFan, Aug 2, 2025

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I feel bad for Luka. Somehow he is going to have to squeeze by on only 55 million per year for the next couple of years. But then, he will have some wiggle room after that on about 84 million per for the following 5.

TIME, Aug 2, 2025

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TIME said: ↑

I feel bad for Luka. Somehow he is going to have to squeeze by on only 55 million per year for the next couple of years. But then, he will have some wiggle room after that on about 84 million per for the following 5.
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LakeShowAZ, Aug 2, 2025

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We have a golden opportunity to really maximise the next 3 years off Luka’s contract. I think supermax contracts are really difficult to build around properly, we’ll do our best with that when the time comes, but we should really go for it over the next 3 years!

svtzr, Aug 2, 2025

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TIME said: ↑

But then, he will have some wiggle room after that on about 84 million per for the following 5.
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Depends on whether or not he gets FAT again.

LTLakerFan, Aug 2, 2025

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So glad we got this done and Luka is so stoked to be here. Great deal for now and he will get paid big time next opportunity. Let’s get some championships!

lakerjones, Aug 2, 2025

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LTLakerFan said: ↑

Depends on whether or not he gets FAT again.

Click to expand...

LakeShowAZ, Aug 2, 2025

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That was just a formality. Luka is going to be here for a long time. Time to start working on the hardware now. Good pieces sliding into place in the rotation so far. Can't wait to see how we look soon.

audiosway, Aug 2, 2025

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I really appreciate Luka not making this dramatic and dragging this out for days/weeks. Done it on the first day eligible to. Making me like him more and more.

CarolinaLakerFan, Aug 2, 2025

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Contract year slim down for Fatty? Typical

KareemtheGreat33, Aug 2, 2025

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Panko, Aug 2, 2025

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Luka will win two MVPs this coming season and we will all be celebrating next summer. Behind closed doors JJ is already stroking LeBron's ego to be the sixth man and win yet another award. And for all you wise guys out there, yes it was his ego...lol.

Toklat, Aug 2, 2025

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Weezy, Aug 2, 2025

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Doncic extension: Answering the biggest Luka-Lakers questions

When Luka Doncic announced his arrival in New York City this past Sunday, his mere presence stateside signaled a momentous week ahead. It was the first time since he entered the NBA that the superstar had abandoned his summer break in Europe to return to the U.S. before training camp, a source close to Doncic told ESPN.

The trip was presented as a promotional tour for the Jordan Brand signature athlete. Doncic started off by visiting Yankee Stadium to hang with fellow Jordan pitchman, Aaron Judge, and then headed west: first to MJ's old stomping grounds in Chicago before finishing in Los Angeles.

What it became was a cross-country runway strut to show off the 26-year-old's trimmed physique and an announcement that L.A. will be more than just a temporary home after the five-time All-Star's shocking trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers on Feb. 1.

Doncic intends to sign a three-year, $165 million contract extension in person with the Lakers on Saturday, the first day the franchise was eligible to offer him one, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. The third year will be a player option, sources said.

Three months after Doncic's first postseason appearance in L.A. was cut short, with the No. 3-seeded Lakers losing to the No. 6-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, Doncic's dietary discipline -- and bold body transformation captured on the cover of Men's Health -- was a statement by itself. It showed Doncic was heeding the directive he laid out during his last news conference of the season after the first-round exit.

"Everybody's got to get better," Doncic said then. "We're going to have a long summer. And should focus on what we can improve as a team and as individuals. Everybody."

As it turns out, he was speaking for a group he intends to lead into its next era. Now that Doncic's decision to stay has addressed the biggest priority for the Lakers' offseason, here are three lingering questions ahead of Luka's first full season in L.A.
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Why sign for three years instead of four?

The largest contract the Lakers could have offered Doncic was a four-year, $229 million deal, according to ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks. So, after already missing the chance to sign a five-year, $345 million supermax extension had he stayed in Dallas -- not to mention the difference between state taxes in California and Texas -- why would he leave an additional $64 million in guaranteed money on the table?

By signing a 2-plus-1 extension, Doncic can become an unrestricted free agent in either 2028 or 2029, when he will already have 10 years of service in the league.

Based on Marks' annual cap projection of 10%, there will be another enormous payday coming for Doncic.

The Lakers will be able to re-do his deal in the summer of 2027 and offer him a four-year, $323 million extension at that point.

On the other hand, if Doncic plays the two guaranteed additional years on his deal and declines his player option for 2028-29, he could sign a five-year extension at that point worth around $418 million in his age-29 season. That potential deal could make him the first player in league history to land an $80 million season salary, taking home nearly $1 million per game: A staggering figure.

The last year of the deal would be approaching nine figures at $95 million -- a premium price as the face of a $10 billion franchise.
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What are Doncic's expectations for the upcoming season?

Processing the trade from Dallas took Doncic some time. Based on the way the franchise and fanbase treated him in his early days in the league, he figured he would retire a Maverick after spending his whole career in Dallas, the same way franchise icon Dirk Nowitzki did. And after starting his professional career with Real Madrid as a teenager, he never even considered being traded as a possibility, a source close to Doncic told ESPN. Deals like that rarely, if ever, happen in the Liga ACB.

When the shock subsided, a source familiar with Doncic told ESPN his mindset shifted back to when he was last suiting up for Dallas: Win-now mode.

Doncic might have made a multiyear commitment to the Lakers, but he expects to be in contention every year. Doncic displayed his urgency through his offseason fitness regimen and taking a role in recruiting both Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart to L.A.

And he has done it by taking a partnership approach. After Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick took Doncic and his business manager, Lara Beth Seager, to dinner in May, the 6-foot-6 guard left with a greater understanding of the team's books. The team left with a better understanding of Doncic's desires.

"I don't want to wait," Doncic told the table, a source familiar with the conversation told ESPN. "I had a taste of the Finals. I am getting back there. So let's do whatever we can now."

Pelinka and Redick used the dinner to examine future cap space, the picks they owned, the picks they didn't own and to discuss how to tackle their future together. Doncic was encouraged to share the archetypal players he felt the roster could use -- a pick-and-pop guy, a defensive stopper, a rim protector -- so the Lakers could identify realistic players to fit that mold.
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https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...-lakers-extension-answering-biggest-questions

LakeShowAZ, Aug 3, 2025

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KareemtheGreat33 said: ↑

Contract year slim down for Fatty? Typical
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LakeShowAZ, Aug 3, 2025

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Panko, Aug 3, 2025

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