Luka Doncic agrees to a contract extension with Lakers through 2028

By GREG BEACHAM LOS ANGELES AP Luka Doncic has agreed to a three-year million maximum contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers bypassing a chance at free agency next summer to build a long-term future with his new squad The deal keeps Doncic with Los Angeles through The Slovenian superstar had a sportsman option for the - season under his previous contract A person with knowledge of the deal approved the terms to The Associated Press on Saturday The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Lakers don t publicly announce the details of contracts Excited to keep working to bring championships to LA and make Laker Nation proud Doncic wrote on social media Grateful to the Lakers my teammates and all the fans who ve shown so much love since day one This is just the beginning The Lakers acquired Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks last February in a seismic exchange for Anthony Davis The five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time All-Star averaged points assists and rebounds per event last season while teaming up with LeBron James for victories and the No seed in the Western Conference playoffs Los Angeles lost to Minnesota in the first round but Doncic enjoyed his first months in Hollywood enough to commit to the Lakers He will return this fall alongside James who will begin his unprecedented rd NBA season Doncic s growing comfort with the Lakers was already obvious in his offseason activity He played a important role in Los Angeles profitable bids to sign Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart persuading the two veterans to squad up for the upcoming season Doncic s extensive regimen of offseason conditioning work has also been well-documented after the Mavericks questions about his physical commitment to the sport reportedly played a role in his shocking departure from Dallas AP NBA https apnews com NBA