All Eyes Now on Luka Doncic as Lakers Plot Their Offseason

The Lakers front office is making one thing clear: Luka Doncic is not just part of the plan — he is the plan.

Now the question is, how long will he buy in?

As head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka outlined the team’s offseason priorities following a disappointing first-round playoff exit, he didn’t mince words: the Lakers are moving forward with a core built around LeBron James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves. The goals? Add a true center, boost wing defense, and give LeBron a roster worthy of his expectations.

“I think LeBron is going to have high expectations for the roster,” Pelinka said. “And we’re going to do whatever we can to meet them.”

But while the front office maps out summer moves, a different kind of decision looms –Doncic’s contract.

Now eligible to sign a four-year, $229 million extension, Doncic holds the cards. He could lock in long-term security now or delay, keeping pressure on the Lakers while positioning himself for a bigger payday in 2028, when he’ll have 10 years of service time and be eligible for the league’s highest salary tier.

The most likely outcome? A three-year extension that cancels his 2026-27 player option and replaces it with two guaranteed years and a new option in 2028. That would avoid the optics of heading into next season on an expiring deal and signal commitment, without tying himself to the franchise deep into the decade.

Pelinka didn’t directly address Doncic’s contract status Monday, but he did express enthusiasm about building around him moving forward — even acknowledging that the post-deadline roster felt “like trying to build an airplane in the sky.”

The team’s midseason trade for Doncic brought fireworks, but also instability. Shipping out a starting big man created a defensive and rebounding void that never quite healed. Critics piled on, with ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins calling Doncic “the worst defensive star we’ve seen in the modern era.”

Still, the Lakers aren’t blinking.

“We saw some of [the roster issues] play out,” Pelinka said. “One of our primary goals is going to be to add size to our frontcourt at the center position.”

If the Lakers succeed in retooling, and if Doncic re-ups, they could move from transitional to dangerous in a hurry. But it all starts with the question: What will Luka do?