With Dallas Mavericks season coming to an end, the focus shifts to the future of 22-year-old superstar Luka Doncic, who, after his third NBA season will be eligible to sign a contract extension ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season.
OFFSEASON OUTLOOK: What's next for the Mavs?
Given the accolades he's already picked up, Doncic isn't the average third-year player.
In three seasons, Doncic has already made two All-Star starts, earned a First Team All-NBA selection in 2019-20 and, after averaging 27.7 points, 8.6 assists and 8.0 rebounds this past season, stands to earn yet another All-NBA selection, likely as a First Teamer once again.
In his exit interview, Doncic was asked whether or not he plans on signing the extension he will be offered, to which he slyly replied "I think you know the answer," per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
With an All-NBA selection to his name, Doncic is eligible for a historic extension.
Here's how the potential deal breaks down.
Luka Doncic's contract status
Doncic is under contract for one more season (2021-22) and will be a restricted free agent in the 2022 offseason.
According to Spotrac, Doncic will earn $10.2 million next season, per his standard rookie scale deal as the No. 5 overall pick in 2018.
The extension Luka Doncic is eligible for
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Doncic is eligible to sign a five-year extension worth $201.5 million that could keep him with the franchise through the 2026-27 season. The only aspect that will be up for negotiation is whether or not the fifth year of the deal would be a player option.
A deal of such proportion would be historic for a rookie.
While other rookie-scale contract extensions are based on the premise of a player potentially earning All-NBA status, Marks reports that Doncic would be the first player to sign a max contract extension worth over $200 million, as he already has an All-NBA selection to his name.
The breakdown by season, per Marks:
- $34.7 million in 2022-23
- $37.5 million in 2023-24
- $40.3 million in 2024-25
- $43.1 million in 2025-26
- $45.9 million in 2026-27
Luka is in position to become the first player to sign a $200M+ rookie max extension. https://t.co/eJ2gE5IweF
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 7, 2021
It will be an active offseason for the Mavericks, who have three unrestricted free agents in Tim Hardaway Jr., Boban Marjanovic and JJ Redick, three restricted free agents in Nicolo Melli, Nate Hinton and Tyler Bey, while Josh Richardson has a player option worth $11.6 million that he can exercise for the 2021-22 season.
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