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Anthony Davis has reportedly made a final decision on his Los Angeles Lakers future amid rumors he’s unhappy.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst told Dan Patrick on the February 17 episode of “The Dan Patrick Show” that Davis is “100 percent bought in” on remaining with the Lakers.
“While I admit there might be something amiss there, I don’t think Anthony Davis wants to not be a Laker,” Windhorst said. “My understanding is he still is 100 percent bought in on that.”
Davis signed a five-year, $190 million contract with the Lakers in December 2020. The deal includes an early termination option in 2024 and will be fully up in 2025. Davis has the same agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group) as LeBron James.
In 35 games this season, Davis is averaging 26.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 56.2% from the field, 25.0% from beyond the arc and 82.0% from the free-throw line. The eight-time All-Star has 26 double-doubles. The Lakers, who are in 13th place in the Western Conference standings, are 16-19 with Davis in the lineup.
Anthony Davis Has Done Some Strange Things Lately
Davis, who helped the Lakers win the 2020 championship, has done some strange things lately. He didn’t stand up on the bench and celebrate after James became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. The Chicago native also deactivated his Instagram account.
After the Lakers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks on February 9, Davis said his body language during the team’s 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 7 had everything to do with his club’s struggles and nothing to do with James’ record-setting night.
“It’s about the game,” Davis said. “I mean, we’re losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game we needed, and I was pissed off that we were losing. It’s that simple. It’s nothing that has to do with Bron. He knows that. Everybody else is outside looking in, it’s their opinion, but I was pissed off that we were losing the game.”
The Lakers are 27-32. They will have to go on a major run in the second half of the season to make the playoffs. Davis, who has already gotten hurt once this season, must stay healthy for the purple and gold to make some noise in the rugged Western Conference.
Could the Lakers Trade Anthony Davis This Summer?
Could the Lakers replace Davis with a new James “sidekick” this summer? It’s possible. In a February 15 column, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote that the Lakers “could look completely different” in 2023-24 depending on how the end of this season goes.
“If the Lakers not only secure a playoff ticket but make some noise in the postseason, maybe that convinces the front office to cover the free-agency costs of D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura (restricted),” Buckley wrote. “If they are competitive but lack star power, maybe that’s the motivation for another run at Kyrie Irving. If nothing goes according to plan and they flat-line over the coming months, perhaps they could poke around for a more reliable LeBron sidekick than Davis has been.”
The Lakers traded Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, Damian Jones, Thomas Bryant and Juan Toscano-Anderson at the trade deadline and acquired D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Mo Bamba and Davon Reed. Los Angeles also traded Kendrick Nunn to the Washington Wizards for Rui Hachimura in January.
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