Anthony Davis has yet to sign a long-term deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the 27-year-old star forward revved up speculation that he’s committed to the franchise for the foreseeable future in a viral video clip that went live this week.
Lakers big man JaVale McGee has been filming a blog while in the bubble and caught Davis — a free agent to-be this offseason — saying “purple til the day I die,” after a scrimmage.
Many took it as Davis saying he was a Laker for life, but Kyle Goon of The Orange Country Register pointed out the clip was out of context and Davis was referencing his jersey color because it was a purple-vs.-white scrimmage.
Anthony Davis Says He Hasn’t Thought About Free Agency
The Lakers offered an extension to Davis during the season, which he turned down. However, the four-year, $146 million deal was no more than a formality. It came on the first day the Lakers were eligible to offer the deal and did so as a way to show their loyalty to Davis following their acquisition of him from New Orleans in the offseason.
The Lakers can offer him a five-year, $202 million max contract this summer. Another option is if Davis decides to sign two-year deal, which would give him 10 years of NBA service when it expires, allowing him to sign a deal worth 35 percent of the salary cap. However, much still depends on how the salary cap moves with much financial uncertainty ahead.
Davis did address his future with the Lakers on Tuesday, but said he hasn’t thought much about it. You can’t blame him, considering what this year has been like.
“I was focused on trying to see what the NBA is going to do about this season, and if we’re going to come back or not,” Davis said. “But it hasn’t crossed my mind within this three-month, four-month break.”
Anthony Davis Backs LeBron James for MVP
Davis was averaging 26.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game at the time of the stoppage and had established himself as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. But Davis isn’t campaigning for the award.
“I don’t have a case,” Davis said. “I let my teammates decide and the fans decide, but I just go out there and play hard every night. My biggest impact that I think I have is defensively. I love playing defense, I love stopping other players, making it tough on other players, so that’s my case in a nutshell.
“But I’m pretty sure coach has some good things, and I’m pretty sure if you guys ask LeBron he’ll have a whole list for you guys. I just go out there and try to be great and lead my team on the defensive end, and the guys get better each and every night.”
As for his buddy LeBron James, Davis feels like he should be the MVP. James has averaged 34.9 minutes per game, 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and a league-leading 10.6 assists this season.
“I mean, he’s playing probably one of his best best years,” Davis said. “We’re the top team in the west, the things he’s able to do on the floor — especially when everybody was saying he was washed, he he should hang it up and all this things. Then he comes back with a with a dominant performance. And then just to be even in the race you know at this at this point of his career.
“For me, to see it every night, the things he do on a consistent basis, not in stretches of three games here, four games here. He does it every night. He’s been doing it his whole career. I think it’s a good argument for him to be MVP.”
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Lakers Star Anthony Davis Revs Up Speculation About Future