The Los Angeles Lakers have some more business to attend to this summer before training camp starts. They could still add at least one player to their roster via a trade or through free agency, although to sign a free agent, they will likely have to waive guard Shake Milton soon in order to open up a portion of their bi-annual exception.
Then there is the matter of getting Luka Doncic signed to some sort of a contract extension. He will be eligible for an extension that could pay him as much as $228 million over four years on Aug. 2, although it has been suggested that he will instead sign a two-year deal so that he could then sign a supermax deal in 2028.
Although there has been a bit of anxiety regarding whether Doncic will agree to an extension (he can opt out of his current contract next summer), it has been generally assumed that he will do so. But Sam Quinn of CBS Sports feels Doncic shouldn’t sign an extension this summer because the Lakers haven’t done enough to build a championship team around him.
The Lakers may already have a better team than they did when they got eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs in May by the Minnesota Timberwolves. While they lost 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency, they gained intriguing forward Jake LaRavia and apparently solved their need for a starting-level center by signing Deandre Ayton.
But they aren’t a championship-caliber team yet, mostly because they lack plus defenders who are also serviceable on the offensive end.
Doncic has given at least one signal that he wants to stay with the Lakers. He and his manager did meet with general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick a couple of months ago, reportedly to hear how Pelinka plans to build a championship team around him.
But until he signs on the dotted line, some will wonder if the franchise will lose him for nothing not too long after it lucked out in trading for him.