{"id":7038,"date":"2026-05-16T17:01:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T17:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7038"},"modified":"2026-05-16T17:01:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T17:01:42","slug":"luka-doncic-is-the-face-of-the-lakers-so-how-does-that-impact-the-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7038","title":{"rendered":"Luka Doncic is the face of the Lakers, so how does that impact the offseason?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 When Luka Doncic searched back into his mind on Monday night for what March felt like in his first full season with the Lakers, he turned to describing the \u201cgood\u201d vibes in the locker room.<\/p>\n

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The Slovenian star referred to the \u201cfight\u201d on the court \u2013 a 15-2 run as the Lakers shaped up into their best version of themselves before Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered their late-season injuries on April 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost importantly, everybody was having fun,\u201d said Doncic, who earned NBA scoring champion honors at 33.5 points per game and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for March before a Grade 2 left hamstring strain ended his season. \u201cSo, I think that run we made was pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the Lakers officially bid farewell to their unlikely title hopes on Monday night with a second-round series sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Doncic shared that he wasn\u2019t \u201cclose to clearing\u201d injury protocols with more recovery on the horizon as the offseason began in the days to follow.<\/p>\n

Now, attention for the Lakers and their perennial MVP candidate \u2013 who signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension last offseason \u2013 shifts to how the Lakers will soon be assembled with LeBron James (contract expired) and Austin Reaves (player option) set to become unrestricted free agents.<\/p>\n

President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka said during the team\u2019s end-of-season press conference on Tuesday that Doncic is at the forefront of how the Lakers will build toward the 2026-27 season \u2013 and beyond \u2013 starting with his relationship with the 27-year-old star guard. Pelinka called their relationship a \u201ccollaborative process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI plan on seeing him before he takes off to go home and spend time with his daughters,\u201d Pelinka said of Doncic, who expressed that spending time with his two daughters in Slovenia was his offseason priority, as he is currently embroiled in a custody dispute with his former fianc\u00e9e, Anamaria Goltes.<\/p>\n

Doncic announced on Monday night on Instagram that he will not play for the Slovenian National Team in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers \u2013 noting family as his primary focus during the summer.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s an incredible partner,\u201d Pelinka added. \u201cHis basketball IQ on the court is something we get to see as fans. (Lakers coach JJ Redick) and I get to see his basketball knowledge in terms of other players in the league and the way he wants to play and who he wants to play with. His knowledge base is vast and so those collaborations with him are really inspirational.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pelinka said that when it comes to how the Lakers are assembled going forward that it will be in the \u201carchetype\u201d of what Doncic wants; a roster \u201cretrofitted\u201d to the franchise\u2019s north star.<\/p>\n

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From the day-to-day perspective, Redick highlighted the work that Doncic \u2013 who recorded the second-most points per game of his career on 47.6% shooting overall \u2013 put in to get his body in shape following the 2024-25 season, clearly cutting weight in his first summer after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers. He had 14 games of at least 40 points during the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot has been made about Luka\u2019s fitness level and his dedication to that,\u201d Redick said. \u201cHe was great throughout the season. He\u2019s still in fantastic shape six weeks after an injury. But he\u2019s also grown as a leader. I think that was one of the challenges coming into the season that we presented him with. He grew in that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Redick also noted that Doncic made an \u201coff-the-court commitment\u201d to building relationships starting last offseason, developing his role as a team leader alongside James and Reaves. Doncic became more vocal in film sessions and during games, Redick said, a difference from the version of Doncic the Lakers added following the still-shocking trade in February 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was very committed this year to developing those relationships, both on and off the court,\u201d Redick said. \u201c\u2026 He was phenomenal this year as a teammate and a leader, and obviously, as a player, the guy had a tier-one season relative to the rest of the league.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doncic, himself, called the Lakers\u2019 team chemistry \u201cgreat\u201d on Monday night, adding that the team\u2019s March push into contention made him believe that they were legitimate championship contenders. During that run, he carried the Lakers to back-to-back victories over the Houston Rockets and posted a 60-point game against the Miami Heat, just the third time in his career he reached that total.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we had a great team, we had great chemistry, and obviously playing with (Reaves and James), it\u2019s an unbelievable experience,\u201d Doncic said, later responding \u201cwe\u2019ll see\u201d to a question asking if he\u2019d like the pair, along with other Lakers such as Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton, to return. \u201cThey are two great players and it was really fun to share the court with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when it comes to how Doncic feels about Los Angeles, he was up front.<\/p>\n

Doncic said he likes being a part of the franchise. He\u2019s comfortable on the Lakers, and in the city, he added. One thing is clear.<\/p>\n

This is Doncic\u2019s team now \u2013 no matter how the offseason shakes out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like playing for the Lakers,\u201d Doncic said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the best organizations in the world. Being a Laker means a lot to me and, like I said, I feel very good here. There\u2019s nothing else to add to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Doncic was playing at an MVP level before his season-ending hamstring strain. Now, he\u2019s in step with GM Rob Pelinka as the offseason begins and the Lakers decide their next steps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLuka Doncic is the face of the Lakers, so how does that impact the offseason? - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7038\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Luka Doncic is the face of the Lakers, so how does that impact the offseason? - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Doncic was playing at an MVP level before his season-ending hamstring strain. Now, he\u2019s in step with GM Rob Pelinka as the offseason begins and the Lakers decide their next steps.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=7038\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-16T17:01:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=7038#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=7038\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Luka Doncic is the face of the Lakers, so how does that impact the offseason?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-16T17:01:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=7038\"},\"wordCount\":967,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=7038#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/d96999a22d66d83849337834303e650f.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Facts\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=7038#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=7038\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=7038\",\"name\":\"Luka Doncic is the face of the Lakers, so how does that impact the offseason? 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