Perhaps the mild anxiety regarding whether Luka Doncic will sign a long-term contract extension of some kind with the Los Angeles Lakers by the end of this summer is unfounded.
He is currently preparing to represent his native Slovenia in the EuroBasket tournament, which will take place during the latter part of the summer and run deep into September. Brian Windhorst recently said that it would be reasonable to expect Doncic to wait until he returns to the United States late in the offseason before he signs a deal.
However, according to Martin Pavcnik of SportKlub, Doncic is “expected” to sign his extension on Aug. 2, which is the first day he will be eligible to do so (h/t Lakers Nation).
“Although last season taught us that there is no sealed future in the NBA, even if the back of your jersey says ‘Dončić’, it still seems that Luka and the LA Lakers will announce a long-term journey together in just over a week. The Ljubljana native is already waiting for a new multi-year contract in California. He is expected to sign it on August 2nd.”
The coach of the Slovenian team may have tipped his hand as far as when Doncic will get his extension done.
“I expect him to arrive after August 4, when he has completed all his obligations in the USA,” said coach Aleksander Sekulić yesterday.
In fact, according to the website, Doncic already has some sort of agreement in place for a four-year extension.
“The American media speculated that Luka, who has been sculpting his body in recent weeks, losing several kilograms and reducing his body fat percentage, might be delaying signing a new contract since September. There were even hints that he might wait until next summer, when he would be a completely free player and available to all clubs. But it seems that the uncertainty will soon be over. Dončić is said to have agreed to a four-year extension worth 229 million US dollars.”
Obviously, getting the 26-year-old superstar to sign on the dotted line before the start of training camp would give the Lakers organization some tremendous clarity as far as its direction in the immediate future without having to wonder if he wants to stick around.
Doncic has already been acting like someone who plans on being with the Lakers for a while and is emotionally invested in the franchise. He helped convince veteran guard Marcus Smart to come to the team, and he was reportedly motivated to play alongside new Lakers center Deandre Ayton, with whom he shares the same agent.