Anthony Davis was always re-signing with the Lakers.
The only question was how long his max contract would would be.
With LeBron James signing a contract extension that locks him in two more seasons beyond this one, Davis will re-up in Los Angeles on the longest-possible deal.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:All-NBA forward Anthony Davis is finalizing a five-year, $190 million maximum contract to stay with the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, Klutch Sports CEO and Founder Rich Paul told ESPN.
The deal includes an early termination option prior to the fifth year of the deal in 2024-2025, Paul said.Davis’ salaries:
- 2020-21: $32,742,000
- 2021-22: $35,361,360
- 2022-23: $37,980,720
- 2023-24: $40,600,080
- 2024-25: $43,219,440 (early termination option)
- Total: $189,903,600
What a victory for the Lakers, who attracted Davis then delivered a championship in his first season with them. That’s a lot of team control on a young superstar represented by Rich Paul.
Davis must really value security and feel comfortable with the Lakers.
This surprisingly locks in Davis past 2022, when he would’ve been eligible for a max starting salary of 35% of the salary cap (10 years experience). This offseason, he’s eligible for a max starting salary of just 30% of the salary cap.
Davis’ max in 2022 free agency would’ve projected to be and would’ve at least been $40,525,319. Instead, he’ll instead earn “just” $37,980,720.
The Lakers now lock in Davis longer than LeBron, which builds appeal in trying to keep LeBron. Though LeBron doesn’t look like much of a flight risk, it once seemed farfetched he’d leave the Heat to return to the Cavaliers, and he did that in 2014. Then it seemed wild he’d again leave Cleveland, and he did that in 2018. Who knows how he’ll feel in 2023?
But Davis and LeBron have a good thing going right now, and Davis just showed his commitment to continuing with the Lakers long-term.
