Luka Doncic believes the Los Angeles Lakers have what it takes to compete for the championship next season.
The Slovenian, who joined the Lakers back in February in a blockbuster trade from the Dallas Mavericks, agreed to the three-year, $165m maximum contract extension on Saturday.
Doncic, a five-time ALL-NBA first team selection, will be able to opt out prior to the 2028-29 season, as the new deal includes a $57.6m player option in the final year.
Last season, the Lakers earned the number three seed for the Western Conference playoffs but were defeated in five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the postseason.
Los Angeles have since added Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart – both recruited by Doncic – as well as Jake LaRavia.
And Doncic is confident the Lakers can challenge for the title in the upcoming season.
"We have what we need to compete for the championship," Doncic said.
"I'll try to win every game no matter what, and we've got some new great guys on the team, so you know we're going to go for it."
The Lakers will also have 40-year-old LeBron James on their roster after he opted into the final year of his contract.
James averaged 24.4 points on 51.3% shooting, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds in 2024-25 will play a record 23rd season, and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is hopeful he will finish his career with the franchise.
"I think the number one thing we have to do there is respect he and his family's decision in terms of how long he's going to play," Pelinka said.
"We want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable on that. I think that's really important. But, if he had a chance to retire a Laker, that would be great."
