Anthony Davis has long been touted to carry the mantle as the face of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise when LeBron James decides to call time on his illustrious career. James NBA champion reportedly told Davis “there was more work to do” during last month’s title celebrations, as if symbolically anointing his heir.
L.A. did give up a fair amount of compensation to acquire the All-Star forward, with a significant part of the NBA community initially claiming the New Orleans Pelicans robbed their trade partners. But Davis and the Lakers had the last laugh, winning the NBA title in his first season in town and alongside James.
And this exciting chapter of the Los Angeles franchise’s history is set to continue as according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Davis will not only re-sign with the Lakers but do so on a five-year contract:
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 2024-25, Paul said.
Davis had multiple contract options available to him in negotiations with the Lakers — and theoretically other teams if he wished.
There was an expectation Davis would sign a three-year deal that allowed him to opt out once reaching 10 years of time in the league and therefore be eligible for a more lucrative contract.
A one-plus-one was another alternative, potentially allowing Davis to enter free agency together with James in 2021.
Of course, that landscape changed when James agreed to a two-year contract extension. Now Davis has also cemented his future with the Lakers.
James says goodbye to Danny Green, Quinn Cook on Twitter
Even though last season’s Lakers roster was a monolith, arguably boasting the league’s best chemistry, the team inevitably had to undergo a reshuffle ahead of the 2020-21 season.
L.A. first parted ways with Danny Green and Quinn Cook, sending the former together with their 28th first-round pick for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Dennis Schroder and waiving the latter on Thursday.
James took to Twitter to pay tribute to his former teammates, thanking them for the role they played in last season’s success.
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