Surprise trade intel may pave the way for the Spurs to steal Doncic from the Lakers

The trade dust is still settling from arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history. The Los Angeles Lakers landed one of the three best players in the NBA, Luka Doncic, while not giving up nearly as much as one would expect to acquire him. That gives Los Angeles a breath of new life and gives superstar LeBron James another chance to compete for a championship in the twilight of his career.

However, while the Lakers landed Doncic for a song, retaining him may be harder than first expected. After all, by trading him, the Mavericks ended any chance of Doncic receiving a supermax contract, which would have paid him $345 million over 5 years. With that off the table, the amount the Lakers can pay him over another team is far less drastic and could open the door for him to test out free agency.

After Doncic was traded from the team that he spent the first six and a half seasons with, he may not have the same loyalty to the Lakers. Particularly if LeBron retires after this season, leaving him as the sole star of the Lakers.

As a result, he may not want to lock himself into a long-term deal until he sees their long-term plan. That would keep pressure on L.A. to continue to try and improve their roster, but that is harder to do with them having only one first-round pick remaining.

The Los Angeles Lakers may have to compete with the Spurs to keep Luka Doncic.

If Doncic doesn't sign a contract extension, then he would instantly become the biggest free agent since LeBron James first hit the market in 2011 and, to a lesser extent, in 2018. He would have no shortage of suitors, and he would have his first chance at picking his team.

One potential team could be the San Antonio Spurs, who have a rising superstar in Victor Wembanyama and just landed star De'Aaron Fox. They would have to clear out significant cap space to get into a hypothetical Doncic sweepstakes.

Or, they could work out a sign-and-trade with the Lakers, which would prevent them from losing him for nothing. The Miami Heat could also be a threat since they have two stars in Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro and play in a destination city. They also have one of the best coaches in the NBA and a team president who has a long track record of winning.

All of that is to say that the Lakers may have competition to keep Doncic. Be that as it may, having him in Purple and Gold is an accomplishment in and of itself, and L.A. has a far longer track record of keeping stars than they do of losing them.