By trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last February, the Dallas Mavericks thwarted the renewal by which the Slovenian prodigy would have signed this summer the best contract in NBA history for five seasons and $345 million. The so-called ‘Supermax Extension’, which only players who have been in the NBA for at least seven seasons, have not changed teams since they were drafted, and have been MVP in one of the previous three seasons or have been ‘All NBA’ in two of the last three campaigns, can qualify for.
The former Real Madrid playermet all those requirements and was already rubbing his hands, which is why he was so angry when he found out that the Mavs were surprisingly trading him to the Lakers. But he could recoup the money lost and even come out ahead, as his renewal last Friday with the Los Angeles team for three seasons and $186 million has a trick and hides a hidden windfall.
Veteran ‘supermax’ contract
By extending his contract for three seasons with a 2+1 format with a ‘player option’ in the last year, the player removed that option for the end of the 2026-27 season, but that clause in 2028 will allow him as a veteran with at least 10 seasons in the NBA to be able to sign then a new huge contract extension for the salary cap that is projected for then for five seasons and 417 million, the largest in NBA history.
Doncic will be eligible for a full no-trade clause to be added to his next deal as long as he becomes an unrestricted free agent and signs a new contract
“Doncic will be eligible to have a full no-trade clause added to his next deal as long as he becomes an unrestricted free agent and signs a new contract,” reported Marc Stein, one of the NBA’s information gurus. “Technically he will only have spent three and a half seasons as a Laker when he declines his player option in 2028-29 and becomes a free agent, but league sources told The Stein Line that he will indeed be considered a four-year Laker at that time after serving four straight seasons there,” allowing him to add that clause to his new contract.
A $582 million contract package in 2033
The extension Doncic recently signedtakes him off the free agent market in 2025 and marks a power shift for the Lakers, who are pinning their future on this 26-year-old superstar at the expense of veteran LeBron James, who will turn 41 on Dec. 30. If his roadmap goes according to plan and he signs that veteran supermax contract in 2028, the former Real Madrid player will have pocketed $582 million by 2033, when he is 34 years old.
In this way, he will become one of the highest-earning players in NBA history in terms of contracts alone, surpassing the $535.8 million earned so far by Stephen Curry with his current contract and almost matching the $583.9 million that LeBron James will have pocketed in his career after adding to his account the $52.6 million for which he renewed this summer with the Lakers for the 2025-26 campaign.
It is not surprising that Doncic has chosen this path, which will make him the highest-earning basketball player in history by counting only his sporting contracts, without quantifying the advertising contracts. And the Lakers’ decision to tie their project to the five-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA and the league’s leading scorer in 2023-24 is also justified beyond the sporting arena.
More revenue with Doncic on the roster
The Slovenian’s presence on their roster guarantees the Los Angeles franchise more income from television deals, from the merchandising generated by its star (his jersey is the best-selling in the NBA) and even from the traffic it generates on social networks. He is third in this ranking with 1.82 billion views, behind only his teammate LeBron James (3.23 billion) and Warriors star Stephen Curry (2.56 billion).
The best young basketball player in the universe joins the best sports franchise in the world for the long-term future
Rob Pelinka, the Los Angeles Lakers’ president of basketball operations and general manager, could not hide his satisfaction with the Slovenian’s contract extension: “The best young basketball player in the universe joins the best sports franchise in the world for the long-term future,” he said proudly
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