As the frustration grows on the Golden State Warriors and what will happen with Jonathan Kuminga, the Los Angeles Lakers have secured the biggest part of their future after signing Luka Doncic to a three-year, $165 million extension on Saturday.
Doncic's new deal comes at less than what he could have got at the Dallas Mavericks if not for February's stunning trade, with this now dissolving any threat of the 5x All-Star leaving the Lakers as an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
The Lakers and Warriors will be major players in the 2027 offseason
The other important element for the Lakers is that while signing Doncic was of the utmost importance, they've done it while preserving flexibility to go out and make another star-level addition either next season or perhaps more likely in 2027.
Doncic is now the first and only player on the Los Angeles roster to be contracted beyond 2027, while only he and Jarred Vanderbilt ($12.4 million) have guaranteed deals for the 2026-27 season. Even assuming that Austin Reaves opts out of his contract for that year and gets a big new extension, the Lakers will still have an opportunity to bring another huge name to L.A.
That could directly screw Golden State's hopes of making a big play themselves, having shown a similar intent on retaining full financial flexibility towards what's setting up to be a major offseason two years from now.
The Warriors themselves have even less money on the books, with only Moses Moody ($13.4 million) on guaranteed money for the 2027-28 season. That could give Golden State an opportunity to go out and completely revamp the roster, but they'll also have decisions to make on Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green who could all be free agents.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic headline the current class of 2027 free agents which also includes Curry, Butler, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, Kawhi Leonard, Zach LaVine, Trae Young, Kyrie Irving and Brandon Ingram (among others).
We know the Warriors already have a dream of landing Antetokounmpo, and it's why they aren't willing to go beyond a two-year contract offer for Jonathan Kuminga right now. Yet their plans for 2027 could be foiled by their pacific rival, with Doncic's secured future now making him a key chip to incentivize rival players to join the purple and gold as was the case with the likes of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart this offseason.
Players will likely be far more motivated to join a 28-year-old Doncic than a 39-year-old Curry two years from now, leaving potential disappointment on the horizon despite the Warriors' obvious ambitions for that 2027 offseason.