From a maximum salary of 165 million to a maximum salary of 417 million in teams, earning 570 million US dollars in 8 years! The championship is no longer important!

Editor|Lao Kankanqiu

The long offseason of the NBA has passed most of the time, and the signing and trading in the free market has basically come to an end. Many stars have successively won the big contracts they have always dreamed of. For example, this year's championship Thunder team, the boss changed his previous stingy style and spent 822 million US dollars, and gave MVP Alexander 285 million US dollars in four years and second-in-command Jewish 287 million maximum salary in five years. Even Homgren, who averaged 15.2+8.7 games in the playoffs, also received a 5-year and 239 million maximum salary contract, which is indeed crazy enough. In addition, after sending away Durant and Bill, the Suns reached an early contract renewal of 2 years and 145 million US dollars with Booker (again breaking the NBA historical single-season salary record again), and his core position in the future is undisputed. In contrast, the three-year, 165 million maximum salary renewal contract reached by the Lakers management with Doncic this offseason (the last year is the player option), does look a bit shabby, but the cost-effectiveness is really full. Originally, Doncic had the opportunity to sign a super maximum salary of $345 million in five years this summer, but he lost this qualification because he was traded by the Mavericks.

Obviously, Doncic signed with the Lakers this summer not the initial rumored 4-year maximum salary of $229 million, but chose a shorter contract of $165 million (actually about $161 million, because the salary cap increase is less than expected). There is indeed a longer-term plan behind this choice:

Doncic will obviously choose to jump out of the contract after the end of the 2027-28 season. By then, he has reached the super top salary qualification for 10 years in the NBA and can sign a five-year $417 million contract with a starting salary of 35% of the salary cap (the highest salary record in team history).

Then, in the next eight years, Doncic's salary trajectory has been confirmed: in the 2025-26 season, the last year of executing the existing contract will be approximately US$46 million. Starting from the 2026-27 season, the salary in the next two years will be: US$49.64 million and US$53.61 million, respectively. Then the contract will be re-signed (US$417 million in five years). Starting from the 2028-29 season, the salary will be US$71.7 million, US$77.43 million, US$83.62 million, US$90.31 million and US$97.54 million.

Overall, from the 2025-26 season to the 2032-33 season, Doncic will earn a total salary of US$570 million through NBA contracts, which does not include income other than salary such as endorsement contracts.

So, what does this $570 million mean? That number will make him one of the highest-paid players in NBA history, earning more money in just 8 years than other legendary stars throughout their careers. You should know that James has played in the NBA for 22 seasons, with a total income of US$583 million (including salary in the 2025-26 season); Curry has only received US$536 million in his entire career; and Chris Paul has played in the NBA for 20 years, with a total income of only US$400 million.

In other words, Doncic can earn more money than Curry's entire career in 8 years, almost tying James' total income in 22 years. This leap in income reflects the direct impact of the NBA's television broadcast contract and surge in salary cap.

For the Lakers, the successful renewal of Doncic this summer means completing the most important strategic measure in the "post-James era". The team has a cornerstone of seamless connection, avoiding the long reconstruction period that many giant teams have experienced after losing their superstars. Therefore, during this offseason, the Lakers' management's strengthening movements basically revolve around Doncic, while James was abnormal and basically did not participate in the management's strengthening work.

The significance behind this is also obvious. The Lakers are expected to officially enter the "Doncic era" in the new season. Doncic's contract also maintains the flexibility of the Lakers' salary space. The team's signings will not provide a contract that exceeds 2027, and will be able to ensure that Doncic will once again make every effort to build a championship lineup (referring Antetokounmpo or Jokic).

However, can the championship really be achieved for a big core like Doncic holding the ball? Maybe it's not that easy. James is old, and the help he can provide to Doncic is really limited. The current operation and maintenance model of the Lakers management (Jenny Buss team) is still: the premise of strengthening is tax avoidance. It can be seen from the operation results of this offseason that only Laravia + Aiton (buyout) + Smart (basic salary). Is this lineup a championship level?

Obviously, in the western part of the new season, which is particularly competitive, this is not a team of the top three echelons. Therefore, from Dallas to Los Angeles, Doncic's fate has not changed. He makes 570 million US dollars in the next eight years. Perhaps the championship is not important!