Not Luka Doncic, but pressure is on LA Lakers next summer, says Brian Windhorst

Luka Doncic just played the third game of his career while wearing the Los Angeles Lakers colors. Similar to his first two games, Doncic struggled to shoot well against the Charlotte Hornets.

Doncic is expected to improve as the season progresses since he is no longer on a minutes restriction, but many believe that the Slovenian star is under pressure.

For starters, he was backstabbed by the Dallas Mavericks as the organization traded him out of the blue. On top of that, playing in front of a relentless Lakers crowd is not everyone's cup of tea.

While that seems to be the narrative around the league, NBA insider Brian Windhorst offered a different view on the Doncic-Lakers relationship.

"The pressure is on the organization between now and August 2nd to get Luka to sign that extension," Windhorst said. "That's where the pressure is because Luka doesn't have his incentive to sign. He never said, ‘I wanna be a Laker.’ There are dozens of players over the years who have made it crystal clear they wanna be Lakers. Luka never said that. This hit him outta the blue. It cost him $100 million."

.@WindhorstESPN says the pressure is on the Lakers between now and August 2nd "to get Luka to sign that extension."

"He never said, 'I want to be a Laker.' ... He's gotta see how they build this team around him." pic.twitter.com/wN46RX5LV3
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 20, 2025

While it's true that Doncic is eligible to sign a contract extension next year, it wouldn't be a surprise if the former Mavericks superstar signs a shorter deal with the franchise.

Even if Doncic opts out of his 2026-27 player option, he is under contract for at least the summer of 2026. In a scenario where Doncic does sign an extension, he could opt in for a two plus one deal, that will give him a chance at signing a $400 million-plus supermax deal in the future.