Luka Doncic can hit free agency next summer and sign with any team that he likes. He also can sign an extension starting next month to stay tied to the organization for another few years. Given that the Los Angeles Lakers have a secret weapon that will come available down the line, they may just be able to convince Doncic to stick around -- and sign a no-trade clause in the process.
That's a scary idea -- no-trade clauses are a death knell to a team's flexibility. The Phoenix Suns traded for Bradley Beal on a no-trade clause and were handcuffed when they wanted to move on. LeBron James controls his destiny with a no-trade clause, preventing the Lakers from even entertaining moving on from him this year.
The Lakers want to retain Luka Doncic
What is even scarier than giving Luka Doncic a no-trade clause is letting him walk in free agency. As reported by John Hollinger of The Athletic, if Doncic signs a two-year extension sometime before hitting free agency, and plays that extension out, he will have completed four seasons with the Lakers as well as 10 overall in the NBA.
That would make him eligible for the supermax contract he surely feels that he deserves, bumping him up to 35 percent of the salary cap. When the Dallas Mavericks traded him unexpectedly at the Trade Deadline he lost his eligibility to sign a supermax deal. He will need to instead reach 10 years of service to qualify for such a deal.
At the same time, Doncic will qualify for a no-trade clause, something which only two players in the NBA currently have: LeBron James and the newly-signed Damian Lillard with the Portland Trail Blazers. While any player likely would value such a tool, Doncic may value it more than most.
As pointed out by John Hollinger, Doncic was just blindsided by an NBA franchise deciding unilaterally to move on from him. The life he had built in Dallas, the dreams of winning the franchise their second title, his relationships in and to Dallas, all of it was shattered without his consent. He may or may not love being in Los Angeles, but that choice was made for him.
He could exercise agency to leave Los Angeles in a year and sign wherever he would like. That team, however, would have the power to decide they wanted to move on from Doncic and he could do very little about it. That is why sticking around and moving toward that no-trade clause may be a captivating idea for the polarizing superstar.
Does Doncic want to pick his own team in a year? Does he want to put pressure on the Lakers' organization to improve the team? Does he want to secure the maximum amount of money and control that he can, staying with the Lakers in the process?
Those questions will begin to be answered next month, and onward throughout his tenure with the Lakers. The future is uncertain for Doncic, but one thing is clear: the Lakers will use every secret weapon in the book (and then some) to keep him on the team.
Including giving him the ultimate gesture of power.
