Doncic extension: We answer the three biggest questions facing the Lakers

When Luka Doncic announced his accomplishment successful New York City this past Sunday, his specified beingness stateside signaled a momentous week ahead. It was the archetypal clip since helium entered the NBA that the superstar had abandoned his summertime interruption successful Europe to instrumentality to the U.S. earlier grooming camp, a root adjacent to Doncic told ESPN.

The travel was presented arsenic a promotional circuit for the Jordan Brand signature athlete. Doncic started disconnected by visiting Yankee Stadium to bent with chap Jordan pitchman, Aaron Judge, and past headed west: archetypal to MJ's aged stomping grounds successful Chicago earlier finishing successful Los Angeles.

What it became was a cross-country runway strut to amusement disconnected the 26-year-old's trimmed physique and an announcement that L.A. volition beryllium much than conscionable a impermanent location aft the five-time All-Star's shocking commercialized from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers connected Feb. 1.

Doncic intends to motion a three-year, $165 cardinal declaration hold successful idiosyncratic with the Lakers connected Saturday, the archetypal time the franchise was eligible to connection him one, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. The 3rd twelvemonth volition beryllium a subordinate option, sources said.

Three months aft Doncic's archetypal postseason quality successful L.A. was chopped short, with the No. 3-seeded Lakers losing to the No. 6-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves successful 5 games, Doncic's dietary subject -- and bold assemblage transformation captured connected the screen of Men's Health -- was a connection by itself. It showed Doncic was heeding the directive helium laid retired during his past quality league of the play aft the first-round exit.

"Everybody's got to get better," Doncic said then. "We're going to person a agelong summer. And should absorption connected what we tin amended arsenic a squad and arsenic individuals. Everybody."

As it turns out, helium was speaking for a radical helium intends to pb into its adjacent era. Now that Doncic's determination to enactment has addressed the biggest precedence for the Lakers' offseason, present are 3 lingering questions up of Luka's archetypal afloat play successful L.A.

Why motion for 3 years alternatively of four?

The largest declaration the Lakers could person offered Doncic was a four-year, $229 cardinal deal, according to ESPN NBA beforehand bureau insider Bobby Marks. So, aft already missing the accidental to motion a five-year, $345 cardinal supermax hold had helium stayed successful Dallas -- not to notation the quality betwixt authorities taxes successful California and Texas -- wherefore would helium permission an further $64 cardinal successful guaranteed wealth connected the table?

By signing a 2-plus-1 extension, Doncic tin go an unrestricted escaped cause successful either 2028 oregon 2029, erstwhile helium volition already person 10 years of work successful the league.

Based connected Marks' yearly headdress projection of 10%, determination volition beryllium different tremendous payday coming for Doncic.

The Lakers volition beryllium capable to re-do his woody successful the summertime of 2027 and connection him a four-year, $323 cardinal hold astatine that point.

On the different hand, if Doncic plays the 2 guaranteed further years connected his woody and declines his subordinate enactment for 2028-29, helium could motion a five-year hold astatine that constituent worthy astir $418 cardinal successful his age-29 season. That imaginable woody could marque him the archetypal subordinate successful league past to onshore an $80 cardinal play salary, taking location astir $1 cardinal per game: A staggering figure.

The past twelvemonth of the woody would beryllium approaching 9 figures astatine $95 cardinal -- a premium terms arsenic the look of a $10 cardinal franchise.

What are Doncic's expectations for the upcoming season?

Processing the commercialized from Dallas took Doncic immoderate time. Based connected the mode the franchise and fanbase treated him successful his aboriginal days successful the league, helium figured helium would discontinue a Maverick aft spending his full vocation successful Dallas, the aforesaid mode franchise icon Dirk Nowitzki did. And aft starting his nonrecreational vocation with Real Madrid arsenic a teenager, helium ne'er adjacent considered being traded arsenic a possibility, a root adjacent to Doncic told ESPN. Deals similar that rarely, if ever, hap successful the Liga ACB.

When the daze subsided, a root acquainted with Doncic told ESPN his mindset shifted backmost to erstwhile helium was past suiting up for Dallas: Win-now mode.

Doncic mightiness person made a multiyear committedness to the Lakers, but helium expects to beryllium successful contention each year. Doncic displayed his urgency done his offseason fittingness regimen and taking a relation successful recruiting some Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart to L.A.

And helium has done it by taking a concern approach. After Lakers president of hoops operations and wide manager Rob Pelinka and manager JJ Redick took Doncic and his concern manager, Lara Beth Seager, to meal successful May, the 6-foot-6 defender near with a greater knowing of the team's books. The squad near with a amended knowing of Doncic's desires.

"I don't privation to wait," Doncic told the table, a root acquainted with the speech told ESPN. "I had a sensation of the Finals. I americium getting backmost there. So let's bash immoderate we tin now."

Pelinka and Redick utilized the meal to analyse aboriginal headdress space, the picks they owned, the picks they didn't ain and to sermon however to tackle their aboriginal together. Doncic was encouraged to stock the archetypal players helium felt the roster could usage -- a pick-and-pop guy, a antiaircraft stopper, a rim protector -- truthful the Lakers could place realistic players to acceptable that mold.

How bash the Lakers feel?

In a word? "Excited," a root acquainted with the Lakers' reasoning told ESPN.

The organization's goals are aligned with Doncic's successful the abbreviated word -- and LeBron James' arsenic well, for that matter. "This is simply a squad that wants to triumph championships," a Lakers root told ESPN. "That hasn't changed and it won't alteration successful the future."

While the team's aversion to offering escaped cause guardant Dorian Finney-Smith a woody that extended beyond 2027 -- starring him to motion with the Houston Rockets -- near immoderate astir the league with the content that L.A. was preserving headdress abstraction to spell aft a large sanction successful escaped bureau that summer, a root acquainted with the Lakers' reasoning insists that their strategy is motivated by flexibility, not pining for different imaginable star.

Would multiple-time MVP winners Nikola Jokic oregon Giannis Antetokounmpo look large successful a Lakers uniform? Of course. The existent mission, however, is to springiness the squad arsenic overmuch borderline to pivot arsenic imaginable -- either fueled by request oregon accidental -- each play portion maintaining title aspirations.

As 1 Lakers root enactment it: "If you don't person optionality, you get stuck."

From the time L.A. parted with Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a aboriginal first-round prime to get Doncic, it was imperative to unafraid this commitment.

Now that they person done so, the adjacent epoch of Lakers hoops officially begins.