On Aug. 2, which is just over a week from now, Luka Doncic will be eligible to sign a long-term contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. While there was previously a bit of anxiety regarding whether he would commit to staying with the team beyond this coming season, there seems to be a new confidence that he will be staying put.

Following the league-shattering trade that swapped Dončić for 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis on Feb. 2, the Slovenian superstar contributed 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists while knocking down 37.9% of his 9.6 three-point attempts in 28 regular-season contests with the Lakers to close the 2024-25 campaign.

Veteran guard Marcus Smart is the newest Los Angeles Laker after (1) the Washington Wizards bought out his contract, and (2) Lakers superstar Luka Doncic pushed to get him over to La La Land and into the Purple and Gold.