The idea of Luka Doncic playing his final season with the Lakers is already out there, even if it comes from just one voice in an ESPN expert poll.
Los Angeles has spent the summer trying to steady itself amid the ownership drama hanging over the franchise. The Lakers also made a point of putting together the best supporting cast they could after hearing that LeBron James would be leaving town, all in an effort to give Doncic a strong setup around him.
That’s why the lone vote against a long Lakers future for Doncic stood out so sharply. In the poll, one ESPN NBA insider picked 2026-27 as Doncic’s last year in purple and gold. Most of the panel believed he would remain in Los Angeles beyond that point, but the dissenting vote still landed like a jolt.
“Even with the Lakers' ownership about to change hands from Mark Walter to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, it's hard to imagine the organization suddenly changing directions and not continuing to build with Doncic as the center of its universe.
It's similarly unfathomable to believe that Doncic, who just footed a six-figure bill to host all of his teammates for a minicamp and camaraderie-growing retreat in Slovenia, would suddenly decide that he is done with the Lakers next summer,” noted Dave McMenamin.
At the same time, there is at least a path to more tension if the Lakers don’t put together a strong team this season. Some fans are already bracing for a rough year after the club’s underwhelming free agent “frenzy,” and that kind of outcome could easily push Doncic to turn up the pressure on the organization.
He’s still in the middle of his prime, but there’s also the obvious caution flag that comes with his conditioning history. That makes it tough to assume his best years will stretch deep into his 30s.
Even so, the thought of Doncic ending up on a third team in four years is a hard one to process.
In Other News...
Mavericks Linked To Lakers Move That Could Cost Luka A Key Fit
The Lakers still have a clear vacancy at starting power forward after missing out on Jonathan Kuminga, who signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the search has already turned into one of the more interesting roster questions on the board. A trade that would send Jarred Vanderbilt to Dallas for P.J. Washington has surfaced as a possible answer, and it makes sense on paper for a team trying to stabilize the frontcourt around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Washingtons appeal is obvious for Los Angeles because of the versatility he would add, and the fact that he is under contract through the 2029-30 season only increases the intrigue. For the Mavericks, though, the idea carries a different kind of weight, since moving him would come with the sting of taking away a key fit next to Doncic, which is exactly why this kind of deal is drawing attention before anything is finalized. [Read more 🡒]
Former Lakers Champion Was Shut Out Of Latest Ownership Drama
Metta Sandiford-Artest says he tried to get in on the Lakers latest ownership shakeup, pitching a $100 million stake when Mark Walter bought the franchise, only to see the offer turned away. For a former champion who spent years inside the organization and still watches it from afar, the rejection clearly landed as more than just a business miss.
Artest framed the attempt as a chance to buy into what he believed would become an even more valuable asset, and he compared it to another investment opportunity he says slipped away after his playing career in the BIG3. It adds another layer to the Lakers ownership story, even if the real drama for fans remains what the new financial power structure means for the franchise going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers New Luka Era Already Facing A Brutal National Doubt
ESPNs panel has already thrown a bucket of cold water on the Lakers next chapter, tabbing them as the most disappointing NBA team for the 2026-27 season and projecting a drop to 45 wins. It is a jarring early verdict for a franchise that has spent the offseason reshaping itself around Luka Doncic after LeBron James departure, mixing in several new faces while trying to keep enough of its key contributors in place to stay relevant.
The optimism is easy to understand on offense, where Doncic gives Los Angeles a ceiling few teams can match. The unease is just as real, though, because the questions around defense and depth have not gone away, and the Western Conference does not leave much room for a team trying to figure things out on the fly. For the Lakers, the new era is not just about star power anymore, but whether the roster around Doncic can hold up when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]