As the Los Angeles Lakers continue to reflect on their early NBA playoff exit, a good chunk of the L.A. fanbase is already thinking about Luka Doncic's future with the franchise.
As exciting as it's been to see him playing alongside LeBron James after being swapped for Anthony Davis, Doncic's long-term future in Los Angeles is far from certain. The Slovenian superstar is only under contract for 2025-26 with a $48.9 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign, too, meaning the Lakers must act quickly if they want to keep Doncic for the long haul.
Now that the Lakers' offseason has begun, fans have wondered how long it might take before potential contract extension talks begin. As it turns out, it may not have taken that long for discussions to start.
Lakers News: Luka Doncic Extension Rumors Fly After Meeting With Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick
On Friday night, Doncic was spotted leaving a dinner with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick. Although the nature of the trio's meeting is unknown, it's enough to leave L.A. fans fantasizing about a contract extension potentially being in the works.
Luka, JJ, and Rob were seen leaving dinner together last night in LA…
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) May 3, 2025
Looks like they were discussing some sort of business 👀
(via HollywoodFamous323/TT) pic.twitter.com/YnZ0M05B8g
Regardless of what they met about, it's encouraging to see Pelinka, Redick, and Doncic putting their heads together immediately after the season ended. It shows that they're taking the Lakers' future seriously and want to waste no time figuring out how to rebound from Wednesday's elimination loss.
Even if they didn't talk about contract details, Pelinka and Redick may have been using the dinner as an opportunity for Doncic to weigh in on potential offseason targets. The Lakers need to seriously upgrade their supporting cast this summer, so it makes sense for Pelinka and Redick to want their best player's opinion.
The surprise meeting comes a day after LeBron James was asked about Doncic's long-term outlook with the Lakers. The four-time NBA MVP, who must decide on his own player option this offseason, made it clear he wants the 26-year-old star to continue playing games at Crypto.com Arena for as long as possible.
"But I hope, obviously, (Doncic stays long term). Laker fans (expletive) love him here. L.A. has accepted him," James said in Thursday's exit interview. "We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he's got to make a decision for him. (Expletive), I ain't going to be around much longer."
After trading the beloved Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, extending Doncic sooner rather than later is the right call for the Lakers. The fanbase is already unhappy after what the lack of legitimate centers did to the team post-trade, and the last thing the franchise needs is to lose Doncic for nothing next summer, making it look like Davis was traded for nothing.
Hopefully, Lakers fans will get some clarity on Doncic's future soon. The fanbase is eager to see what the five-time All-Star will do next after pacing Los Angeles in points (30.2), assists (5.8), and field goals made (9.4) per game this postseason.