NBA Notes: Lakers, Luka Doncic, Jazz, Lauri Markkanen, Nets

Lakers

Luka Doncic isn’t talking about retirement, but he already knows how he’d like his career to end.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay, the Lakers star said he’d “for sure” like to finish with Real Madrid, the club that raised him.

Doncic joined Madrid at just 13 years old, became the youngest player in team history and wrapped up his European run in 2018 with EuroLeague MVP and Final Four MVP honors.

For now, he’s focused on the NBA grind and on conditioning. Inspired by teammate LeBron James, Doncic slimmed down this summer with strength training, agility drills, intermittent fasting and even a private chef.

“For the first time, I stopped playing basketball for a month,” Doncic admitted. “Pure training and fitness. And padel tennis.”

Doncic added that while he doesn’t see himself playing into his 40s, he’d like to follow James’ footsteps into possible ownership someday, even outside basketball.

Jazz

Lauri Markkanen is already embracing the NBA’s new All-Star format. The Jazz forward said he’s eager for the addition of Team World, which will compete against two U.S. squads in a round-robin format.

“There’s always pride when you’re representing your country, or in this case the world,” Markkanen said, via BasketNews. “Hopefully I can be a part of it.”

Markkanen, 28, has battled injuries the past two years but looked sharp at EuroBasket, averaging 26 points for Finland. Utah, meanwhile, has no plans to trade him despite a younger roster and four years left on his $196 million contract.

When asked to name his Team World starting five, Markkanen rattled off Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Doncic, Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Not a bad lineup.

Nets

Brooklyn has signed guard Yuri Collins to a one-year deal with a partial guarantee, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

Like David Muoka and D’Andre Davis before him, Collins is expected to be waived and join the Long Island Nets in the G League.

The 24-year-old led the G League in assists last season (10.8 per game) and had a brief NBA stint with the Warriors on a 10-day contract. He averaged 13.7 points and 10.2 assists with Santa Cruz.

The small partial guarantees will count against the Nets’ cap — a quirk that may help Brooklyn inch above the salary floor. The team is currently the only one in the NBA still operating below it.