Luka Doncic will suit up for one of the NBA’s most famous franchises, but it’s going to cost him.
The Slovenian basketball star is heading to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal that will see Anthony Davis move to the Dallas Mavericks.
It was reported late on Saturday night that the Lakes have acquired Doncic alongside Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in a three-team trade with the Mavs and Utah Jazz.
In return, Dallas landed 10-time All Star Davis, Max Christie and LA’s first-round pick in the 2029 draft.
Utah ended up with Jalen Hood-Schifino and 2025 second-round picks from the Mavericks and LA Clippers.
Not only does the deal shake-up the landscape of the NBA‘s Western Conference, but it also has major financial implications for Doncic.
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Bobby Marks, the 25-year-old was in line to receive a five-year, $345million super max contract extension with Dallas this summer.
However, with a move to the Lakers, Doncic is no longer super max eligible.
Part of being eligible for a super max extension, a deal which allows teams to offer more money than others, is that it can only be offered to players who were originally drafted by the franchise, or acquired while they were on their rookie deal – like Doncic was.
In 2022, the NBA star signed a five-year, $215m extension and has a guaranteed salary of just over $43m.
He can sign a new deal with Los Angeles this summer, but it will not be at the same value as a super max.
Marks believes the trade will cost Doncic around $115m, but suggested he could ‘recoup’ a lot of that money.
“The smart play would be for Doncic to sign a three-year extension this summer with a player option in 2028-29,” he posted on X.
“That would allow him to reach 10 years of service and recoup most if not all from the missed opportunity to sign the super max this offseason.
“Starting salary in 2028-29 is $72m.”
Doncic’s super max deal was reportedly part of the reason Dallas were open to trading him.
According to the NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks initiated trade talks with the Lakers after general manager Nico Harrison ‘made the call to abruptly change the direction of the franchise.’
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon added that the team actually had ‘major concerns’ over perennial MVP candidate Doncic.
He wrote: “The Mavs had major concerns about moving forward with Doncic due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another super max contract extension this summer.”
The 25-year-old has only appeared in 22 games of the 2024-25 NBA regular season to date, and has been inactive since Dallas’ Christmas Day defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a calf strain.
Reports suggest Doncic is hoping to return to the floor in the next fortnight, and could make his Lakers debut before the February 16 All-Star Game.