Given the great friendship between Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, and the tantalizing fantasies of what the pair could do on the court together, there was a bit of hopeful optimism that Luka may make his way to Denver eventually. It suddenly seemed more possible than ever when he was stunningly traded away from the Mavericks before the deadline.
But those odds took a massive hit on Saturday as Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Lakers. He was set to hit free agency next summer, and with the supermax from Dallas no longer being an option, there was some question as to whether he would commit to the Lakers or not.
I just signed my extension with the Lakers. Excited to keep working to bring championships to LA and make Laker Nation proud. Grateful to the Lakers, my teammates and all the fans who’ve shown so much love since day one. This is just the beginning. 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/PrTfTxxlpU
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) August 2, 2025
Those questions have now been answered, as Doncic has extended his deal and is ready to fully embrace being the face of the franchise moving forward. He has already helped the team recruit Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton this summer and appears to be in lockstep with the front office and ownership going forward.
Doncic will have a player option in the summer of 2028, at which point he will have 10 years of service time in the league. That means he can opt out of his deal and would be eligible to sign a new five-year, $417 million supermax contract.
Chance of seeing Luka and Jokic together now slim
Unfortunately for Nuggets fans, this not only means the hated Lakers will likely be good and relevant for the next several years. But it also means the pipe dream of seeing Doncic and Jokic play together is almost certainly dead.
We’ve already seen one shocking trade involving Luka, but the chances of him being dealt by LA are minuscule at best. Anything could happen, and maybe he will want out if the Lakers aren’t able to compete, but that also feels very unlikely.
By 2028, Jokic will be going into his age-34 season. We don’t know how long he wants to keep doing this, and we don’t know how long he can play like the best in the world. Is there a world where Doncic, in his prime, comes to Denver as Jokic fades into his twilight years? Never say never.
The path to this reality mostly hinged on Luka choosing not to sign the extension, this coming season going very poorly in LA, and Doncic deciding to choose a new home. That looks to be off the table.
We’ve seen the Lakers bungle some moves in recent years. And we’ve already seen a franchise bungle Luka Doncic. So again, anything is possible, but I’m certainly not holding my breath.