After the Vihor Season, Luka Doncic locks in the future with Lakers: 'I wanted to be here'

Melissa Rohl

Fox Sports NBA Vriter

Six months ago, Luka Doncic entered the Los Angeles Lakers Practice the facility freezed. Shock from unexpects to trade Dallas Mavericks It is written on his face. Squad so-called betrayal is colored is every word.

On Saturday, things couldn’t be different.

After arranging for a three-year, 165 million dollars Maximum extension of the contract With Lakers involving the player option in 2028. year, in Doncym, something else was possible: a steel solution.

He spent an external transformation of his body. It realizes that the game for a 17-time franchise of the championship in the city with endless possibilities could be to change revitalization. And he is on a mission to prove that someone who doubted in the wrong one.

How about the extension? It is obvious that without a brainer.

“Being Laker is honor and I wanted to be here,” Doncic said. “So, obviously, when you look here, so big names and what they achieved, I want to be there for a day.”

It’s not a secret that it will be a kind of revenge for Dončić, which is an amazing opportunity for Lakers franchise that failed to go through the first round of the playoff last two seasons despite that Lebron James on their list.

Doncic arrived in Los Angeles wide eyes and landed last winter. It was uncomfortable. How could you he were traded? It was unprecedented that 25-year-old superstar deals, especially the one who hoped to spend the whole career with the same franchise that put together.

Determining things, his name is dragged through the mud. Whispers leaked that he was out of form, Len and excluded even though he brought Maverike to NBA Finals in 2024 years.

Now it is clear that Dončić did not just wrap his mind around his new reality, but it accepted it.

Gave Lakers, commitment desperately needed and gambled when they were traded Anthony Davis to acquire young Hothot. Likes are now Doncic’s team. And it is clear that he wants to show Maverike how bad they messed up.

When asked if he was in the best form of his career, Doncic did not hesitate.

“We’ll just say, you know, it was like a new beginning for me,” he said.

Doncic said he was faster. Expects to be a better defender. He will play for playing long minutes and is trying to wear Lakers to his first championship of 2020. Years.

Over the summer, Dončić changed the entire routine to transform his body in a thinner, an exit version of himself.

“First of the month, I didn’t play basketball at all,” Doncic said. “We’ve been more focused on other things. So it was really hard without basketball. But I didn’t know what to do. But also after one month. And then we started playing and tricking.

Multiple players at Lakers were on Saturday in the practice team to celebrate Doncyg’s long-term commitment to the team, including DEANDRE AITON, Marcus Smart, Adou Thiero, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jakson Haies and Maxi glue.

Of course, there was a noticeable absence in James, which published videos about Sebe Golf on Saturday on Instagram. James, who decided in the last year of $ 52.6 million, raised speculations after his future, Rich Paul, said to the Multiple Departments that James “knows that Lakers are building all that adds everything that it adds everything to add everything. “

In Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka is the first availability of the media from James’s decision, asked if he believes that James will complete his career with Lakers.

“I think the number 1 is the thing we need to do respects the decision about his and his family in the sense how long it will play,” Pelinka said. “We want to respect his ability to reach that on it. I think that really matters. But if he had a chance to retire Laker, that would be great.”

It is clear that Focus Lakers is now on Doncic.

And fortunately for Lakers, this obligation is reciprocal.

Dončić is far from a stunned player who arrived in the same building six months ago. Then his head rotated him. The laser is now focused.

When asked how he feels different, he could not help him, but he was laughing at Stark.

“It’s better better,” he said. “It’s better better.”

Melissa Rohlin is a writer of NBA for Fox Sports. She has previously covered the league for illustrated sports, Los Angeles Times, News Gulf Group and News San Antonio Express news. Follow it on @melissarohl.