The Los Angeles Lakers held a press conference on Saturday to announce that Luka Doncic had agreed to a three-year contract extension that will pay him $165 million. Getting him signed to an extension was seen as the most important item on their to-do list this offseason, and they got it done on the first day he was eligible to sign it.
Several of Doncic’s teammates were on hand for the presser, as was coach JJ Redick. They were surely happy to know that the 26-year-old superstar will remain in a Purple and Gold uniform for at least three more years.
However, Doncic’s best and most important teammate — LeBron James — wasn’t present for Saturday’s news conference.
James has noticeably kept to himself so far this offseason after deciding to exercise his player option for the 2025-26 season in late June. His agent, Rich Paul, issued a statement that said, in part, that the two “want to evaluate what’s best for” the superstar at this point in his career. Many interpreted that as a prelude to a possible trade request.
The trade speculation surrounding James has died down a bit over the last week or two. However, all eyes will be on him once training camp starts, and as usual, he will be under a microscope as people analyze his body language and try to decipher how he feels in the moment about playing for the Lakers.