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Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers don’t need to worry about losing Luka Doncic for the foreseeable future, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Slovenian star, who has a player option for 2026-27, could potentially opt out of his contract and test free agency, especially since he is no longer eligible for a supermax contract. However, Charania reported on March 4 that Doncic “loves” playing in Los Angeles and sees himself as a longterm fixture with the Lakers organization.
“He’s loving his time in LA,” Charnia said of Doncic on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN. “You think about what the Lakers brand is — treating stars like stars, it’s Hollywood. It’s making star players bigger than life. That’s what we are going to see with Luka Doncic.”
Shams says Luka had no intentions of ever leaving Dallas, but he thinks that loyalty will carry over to the Lakers.
All signs point toward Luka being a Laker for the long haul
“Luka is loving his time in LA… He is loving how the Lakers treat stars like stars. It’s Hollywood”
– Shams
Luka Doncic Values Loyalty
Charnia added that, like most foreign-born players, Doncic values loyalty and had no intention of leaving the Mavericks, the team that drafted him in 2018.
“Mark Cuban said once, ‘I would rather get a divorce than to trade Luka Doncic’ and ‘I wanted to retire Luka Doncic’s jersey,’” Charania said. “And I know in talking to people on Luka Doncic over the last 72 hours — I was at that Lakers-Clippers game on Sunday — he had no intention ever of leaving Dallas. He had just bought a new home in Dallas for a lofty, lofty price. He did not want to go anywhere.
“You think of a player coming from abroad, they’re very committed. They’re loyal, and that’s how he viewed himself with the Mavericks. It’s like one team, one city forever, and I think that’s gonna carry over to the Lakers.”
While Doncic’s on-court abilities can never be questioned, some raised concerns about the star guard’s off-court habits, specifically his affinity for beers and hookah.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison cited Doncic’s vices as the reason for trading him before informing his team’s ownership.
Should Lakers Invest In Doncic?
“Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Doncic’s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old’s professionalism. They call him lazy,” Amick wrote . “They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls.
“They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on — such as a taste for beer and hookah — which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the NBA Draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so.”
Even Patrick Dumont, the majority owner of the Mavericks, questioned Doncic’s off-court vices while justifying the team’s decision to trade the All-Star guard.
“[Michael] Jordan, [Larry] Bird, Kobe [Bryant], Shaq[uille O’Neal] worked really hard every day, with a singular focus to win,” he told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “And if you don’t have that, it doesn’t work. And if you don’t have that, you shouldn’t be part of the Dallas Mavericks. … If you want to take a vacation, don’t do it with us.”
Those reports have led to some concerns among Lakers fans about Doncic being cast as the next face of the franchise. Only time will tell if those concerns are valid.