ESPN’s Shams Charania reported late Saturday night that Los Angeles acquired Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in a three-team trade with the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas landed Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick, while the Utah Jazz ended up with Jalen Hood-Schifino and 2025 second-round picks from the Mavericks and L.A. Clippers.
That has meaning for Dončić, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported he is no longer eligible for the super-max extension this summer that would have paid him $345 million over five years.
Dončić was deemed eligible for that supermax extension during the upcoming offseason after he was named to the All-NBA team last season.
As Marks broke down, it would have been quite the contract:
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1886076227246580075?t=8oDaes-0_09m2Npb0HYY5g&s=19
Alas, Dallas no longer has to worry about the salary-cap implications of committing so much money to one player, even if he was the presumed face of the franchise for years to come.
It seems like the front office wasn’t thrilled about the idea of committing so much to the star player, as ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported “there had been significant frustration within the organization about Dončić’s lack of discipline regarding his diet and conditioning, which team sources considered a major factor in his injury issues.”
Perhaps this will motivate the 25-year-old as he chases a championship for the Lakers and before he potentially negotiates with his new team.
John Hollinger of The Athletic explained he “can only extend for 30 percent of the cap beginning in 2026-27,” meaning Los Angeles will get arguably a top-five player in the league at a discount compared to what it would have cost the Mavericks.
“It seems likely that Dončić will sign a shorter extension this summer with a player option in 2028, which would allow him to re-sign after his 10th year of service in the summer of 2028 for the full 35 percent of the cap,” Hollinger wrote.
“If so, that effectively gives the Lakers roughly $8 million in extra cap wiggle room in the summers of 2026 and 2027 relative to what they would have paid Davis … right as James is likely gliding off into retirement.”
