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Anthony Davis’ future with the Los Angeles Lakers looks prominent.
According to a report from Bobby Marks of ESPN, the 26-year-old big man — who is due to become a free agent in 2020 — isn’t going anywhere. The league-wide expectation is that Davis will remain with the Lakers for the foreseeable future.
As Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report notes, Davis can sign his contract extension beginning Jan. 7, but there’s no point in doing so considering he can earn a lot more money by waiting until July — during the offseason.
The same story notes that ESPN’s NBA Insiders pointed to a “leaguewide expectation” that Anthony Davis remains with the Lakers in free agency. Per Bleacher Report, the Lakers can make Davis an offer up to four years for $146 million in January or potentially a five-year deal worth $202 million this offseason.
LeBron & AD’s Chemistry Together Have Been Perfect
The report isn’t exactly surprising. Although Davis has refused to commit long term to the Lakers — a smart move on his part considering he’ll be the top free agent next offseason — there would be little reason for the All-Star big man to leave Los Angeles. The Lakers are currently 24-6 — best record in the Western Conference — and the veteran big man has first real opportunity at advancing deep in the postseason with LeBron James by his side.
Although James and Davis are currently dealing with nagging injuries — the Lakers are now on a three-game losing streak — the pair have proven to be a seamless fit together as James has reinvigorated himself as the primary playmaker and secondary scorer to Davis.
While James is leading the league in assists at 10.6 per game and averaging 25.8 points per game in his age-35 season, Davis is averaging 27.9 points per game to go along with a 29.4 PER rating. Those are well above his career numbers of 24.0 points per game and a 27.5 PER rating.
We still have 52 games left in the regular season to go along with the postseason, but barring some unexpected drama with Davis in Los Angeles, the odds favor Davis returning in the Purple and Gold for the 2020-21 season and beyond.
Anthony Davis’ Comments on Chicago Bulls
As some may be aware, Davis is originally from Chicago. He has previously teased the idea — as recently as November, actually — of playing for his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.
During a Nike-sponsored event in Chicago, Davis left open the possibility of playing for the Bulls — mentioning that he is a free agent next year.
Davis replied, per ESPN: “Honestly, it’s nothing like playing at home. I don’t know. … I mean, I am a free agent next year, but we’ll see. It’s a possibility.”
He made sure to stress that the best basketball players ever came from Chicago.
“I mean, it is. We’ve got the best basketball players ever,” Davis told reporters Monday. “You look at the history with all the guys we’ve got that made the league and even the guys that didn’t make the league. They say New York, but it’s not even close.”
While Davis is obviously leaving open the possibility of playing for another team, the Bulls — who are still rebuilding at a 12-20 record — don’t present a realistic chance for Davis to win a championship ring in the near future.
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