Luka Doncic’s switch to the Los Angeles Lakers sent shockwaves through the NBA in one of the biggest trades in living memory.

After seven seasons in Dallas, the 25-year-old will spend the next five in LA, where he will link up with LeBron James and his son Bronny. It will be fascinating to see how the two players combine under JJ Redick.

Doncic’s early years on Madrid

Luka landed in the NBA in the summer of 2018 after four years in Spain at Real Madrid. After spending his first three years in the youth ranks, he made his senior debut aged 16, becoming the youngest Madrid player to debut in the ACB.

He was selected as the third overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 Draft but traded to the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Trae Young and a future first-round pick.

He signed a standard, four-year rookie contract with Dallas in July 2018, earning $5.5 million in his first season and $6.4 million in his second year.

How much was Doncic earning in Dallas after signing his first major contract?

On August 10, 2021, Doncic signed a five-year rookie extension, worth $215,159,700 – the biggest contract in NBA history. The terms of the deal included a an average annual salary of $43 million ($37,096,500 in his first season, rising to $43,031,940 in 2024/25).

The yearly guaranteed figure was set to rise to $45.9 million in 2025/26 and $48.97 million in 2026/27.

Los Angeles Lakers 2025/26 Active roster cap

LeBron James $52,627,153 

Luka Doncic $45,999,660

Rui Hachimura $18,259,259

Dorian Finney-Smith $15,378,480

Austin Reaves $13,937,574

Jarred Vanderbilt $11,571,429

Gabe Vicent $11,500,000

Maxi Kleber $11,000,000 

Dalton Knecht $4,010,160 

Shake Milton $3,000,00

This summer, before his move to the Lakers, Luka would have been eligible to negotiate a lucrative supermax contract – a new five-year extension which would have seen him earn $345 million.

After his trade to Los Angeles, he will no longer qualify for a supermax contract, where he has been assigned the No.77 jersey and will earn $45.9 million in 2025/26 and $48.97 million in 2026/27.

He will be the second highest-paid player at the Lakers behind LeBron James.