Slovenian basketball star Luka Doncic is set to face a huge financial setback following his shock trade to Los Angeles Lakers, find out more about the move, his contract and likely salary
Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night decided to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in a multiplayer three-player deal.
Luka Doncic to Los Angeles Lakers trade contract, salary, jersey number, debut date and net worth
With Doncic joining a new team, it is unclear when his targeted debut date will be but he is slated to make an early return to the court.
Doncic aimed to return to action before the NBA’s All-Star break, which begins Thursday, February 13. Doncic is now said to be targeting Saturday, Feb. 8, for a potential return.
At the time of the trade, the Lakers have five more games before breaking for All-Star as they play Indiana at home on Feb. 8 and have a home-and-home series with the Jazz on Feb. 10 and 12.
Doncic will wear his No. 77 with the Lakers.
Luka Doncic is NO LONGER eligible for a 5-year $345M super-max extension after being traded away from the Mavericks 😵💫
He now becomes eligible for just a 5-year $229M extension after this season. $116 MILLION less than his potential super-max 😭 pic.twitter.com/EooA6Z2tyg
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) February 2, 2025
Doncic is currently out injured after straining his left calf during a Christmas Day game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Luka Doncic traded to LA Lakers
Alongside Doncic, the Lakers acquired Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris from the Mavericks for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. Meanwhile, Utah Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino, and a 2025 second-round pick from the Lakers. The also acquired a Los Angeles Clippers’ 2025 second-round pick.
The Mavericks’ move to sign 25 years old Doncic comes as a no-brainer as he is a five-time All-Star. Doncic is currently regarded as one of the NBA’s best players and he led the NBA in scoring during the 2023-24 season. He averaged 33.9 points per game, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game last season.
Luka Doncic faces financial setback following trade to LA Lakers
Doncic signed a five-year, $215 million max contract with the Mavericks in 2022.
Year Salary
2022 $37,096,500
2023 $40,064,220
2024 $43,031,940
2025 $45,999,660
2026 $48,967,380
After this season, he had two years left on his deal, including a player option in 2027 and the Lakers will pay the remaining salary for this season, as well as next season. Then, it is up to Doncic to either pick up his player option or sign a new contract, though he’ll likely receive an extension.
Los Angeles is eligible to sign Doncic to a four-year contract extension this summer worth $229 million with an average annual salary of $57.25 million but it could be smart for the perennial MVP candidate to sign a short-term bridge extension valued at $165 million over three years, an average annual salary of $55 million.
Doncic would have a player option in 2028 that could push his salary up to 35 percent of the NBA salary cap once he’s played over 10 seasons. However, as of now, the Mavericks were paying him almost $13 million more annually than what the Lakers can offer him now. Details of his salary and contract with the Lakers haven’t been officially revealed.
Much to the disappointment of Doncic, he now faces a huge financial setback following the move to Lakers. He is now no longer eligible for a five-year, $345 million supermax contract this summer.
According to the collective bargaining agreement’s “designated veteran player extension” teams can re-sign qualified players for up to 35% of the salary cap after their eighth or ninth season. The agreement also allows players with at least seven years of service but under 10 years sign to contracts up to 30% of the cap.
However, there are certain conditions for a player to be considered “qualified” for such an agreement. The team offering the extension should be the team that originally drafted the player or acquired him through a trade during his rookie contract. Notably, Doncic was originally drafted by the Atlanta Hawks back in the 2018 NBA Draft. Moreover, he was playing on a $215.2 million contract which he signed with the Mavericks in 2021.
As such, Doncic fails to qualify any of those super max conditions since the Lakers didn’t draft Doncic and Doncic isn’t playing on his rookie contract.
Luka Doncic trade tax implications
Aside from the setback regarding the super max contract, Luka Doncic also faces tax implications following the trade. Doncic currently pays no state income tax in Texas but California has the highest income tax of any state. The state has a top marginal rate of 14.4% on wage incomes that exceed $1 million a year. As such, Doncic will subsequently have to pay a hefty sum on taxes following his trade.
In comparison, Davis is waiving a trade kicker, which features a contractual bonus in the event of a trade. This serves in his favour as it acts a deterrent to any team dealing a player given salary cap limitation. Doncic’s current net worth stands at $75 million.
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