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Luka Doncic is the face of the Lakers, so how does that impact the offseason?

May 16, 2026

LOS ANGELES — 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 “good” vibes in the locker room.

The Slovenian star referred to the “fight” on the court – 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.

“Most importantly, everybody was having fun,” 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. “So, I think that run we made was pretty special.”

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’t “close to clearing” injury protocols with more recovery on the horizon as the offseason began in the days to follow.

Now, attention for the Lakers and their perennial MVP candidate – who signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension last offseason – 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.

President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka said during the team’s end-of-season press conference on Tuesday that Doncic is at the forefront of how the Lakers will build toward the 2026-27 season – and beyond – starting with his relationship with the 27-year-old star guard. Pelinka called their relationship a “collaborative process.”

“I plan on seeing him before he takes off to go home and spend time with his daughters,” 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 fiancée, Anamaria Goltes.

Doncic announced on Monday night on Instagram that he will not play for the Slovenian National Team in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers – noting family as his primary focus during the summer.

“He’s an incredible partner,” Pelinka added. “His 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.”

Pelinka said that when it comes to how the Lakers are assembled going forward that it will be in the “archetype” of what Doncic wants; a roster “retrofitted” to the franchise’s north star.

From the day-to-day perspective, Redick highlighted the work that Doncic – who recorded the second-most points per game of his career on 47.6% shooting overall – 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.

“I think a lot has been made about Luka’s fitness level and his dedication to that,” Redick said. “He was great throughout the season. He’s still in fantastic shape six weeks after an injury. But he’s 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.”

Redick also noted that Doncic made an “off-the-court commitment” 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.

“He was very committed this year to developing those relationships, both on and off the court,” Redick said. “… 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.”

Doncic, himself, called the Lakers’ team chemistry “great” on Monday night, adding that the team’s 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.

“I think we had a great team, we had great chemistry, and obviously playing with (Reaves and James), it’s an unbelievable experience,” Doncic said, later responding “we’ll see” to a question asking if he’d like the pair, along with other Lakers such as Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton, to return. “They are two great players and it was really fun to share the court with them.”

But when it comes to how Doncic feels about Los Angeles, he was up front.

Doncic said he likes being a part of the franchise. He’s comfortable on the Lakers, and in the city, he added. One thing is clear.

This is Doncic’s team now – no matter how the offseason shakes out.

“I like playing for the Lakers,” Doncic said. “It’s 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’s nothing else to add to that.”

Orange County Register

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Luka Doncic is the face of the Lakers, so how does that impact the offseason?

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