After 229 million US dollars in four years, Doncic officially announced a new decision. Will the combination of the three giants need to be changed?

The Lakers have gained and failed in the 2024-25 season. They were third in the Western Conference in the regular season and were eliminated by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, which was indeed a bit of a failure. However, the Lakers' mid-season trade was Doncic, which was the team's biggest gain. Before playing in the playoffs, many NBA experts have analyzed the Lakers' lineup. They believe that the Lakers have a strong offensive scoring combination, but they do not have a relatively excellent inside core, nor a strong forward player. Doncic and Reeves' starting backcourt combination has strong offensive scoring ability, but they do not have good defense and are easily broken through by their opponents.

In the offseason this summer, the Lakers' top priority is the renewal of Doncic and James, and then the matter of signing powerful players. Official reports from Lakers reporters that Doncic is preparing to renew his contract with the Lakers this summer offseason. He said he devoted himself to the Lakers and his current goal is to win the championship with this team. According to US media NBA salary experts, Doncic can sign a four-year, $229 million maximum salary contract with the Lakers this summer offseason, or Doncic chooses a three-year, $165 million maximum salary contract (2+1, the third year player option). This short-term contract renewal allows Doncic to return to the free market faster and sign a higher five-year maximum salary later. It is not surprising that Doncic officially announced the decision to renew his contract with the Lakers this summer offseason. Because the Lakers always regard him as the first core and will be trained in the league in the future. Los Angeles is a big football market, the Lakers have a great influence, and Doncic has always played for the Lakers. This is definitely the dual influence of superstar + super market, and the two are win-win. It is worth mentioning that in the 2024-25 season, the second half of the season, Doncic ranked first in the league in NBA star jersey sales. This is the traffic effect brought by Doncic's joining the Lakers.

This season, Doncic averaged 28.2 points + 8.2 rebounds + 7.7 assists + 1.8 steals per game in the regular season, and Doncic averaged 30.2 points (third in the league) + 7.0 rebounds + 5.8 assists + 1.0 steals per game. In terms of scoring ability and organizational ability, Doncic is indeed the strongest star in the active league. Doncic once scored 73 points in a single game (the highest score record in active single game), and scored 60+21+10 in a single game. Doncic is 26 years old and he is the future NBA league star. The Lakers will definitely treat him as the boss and train him carefully.

U.S. media has written an article to analyze that the Los Angeles Lakers are best to change their lineup this summer offseason. The combination of the three giants, mainly Doncic + James + Reeves, has overlapping their offensive and organizational attributes. Moreover, playing basketball and Reeves are both defenders with strong offense and weak defense, lacking defense and being passive. Therefore, NBA experts suggest that the Lakers can consider using Reeves, Vincent and Kneckett to trade with top inside + defensive players, and form a defensive lineup and system around James and Doncic, and have a better chance to win the championship.

This season, Reeves played well in the regular season: averaging 20.2 points + 4.5 rebounds + 5.8 assists + 1.1 steals per game. However, Reeves' playoff data: averaging only 16.2 points + 5.4 rebounds + 3.6 assists, shooting percentage of 41.1%, three-point shooting percentage of 31.9%, and free throw shooting percentage of 83.7%. Many fans say that Reeves was defended by the Timberwolves in the playoffs, and the defenders with strong offense and weak defense are easily targeted and cannot perform the best results. If Reeves is replaced with a defensive back similar to Ju Holiday and partnered with Doncic, the effect may be better. Do you think the Lakers need to change their core lineup this summer offseason?