Anthony Davis isn’t expected to exercise his $28.75MM player option for the 2020/21 season, but there’s also no expectation that he’ll leave Los Angeles, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that the star big man intends to opt out and then re-sign with the Lakers.
As Charania details, the plan is for Davis and agent Rich Paul to hold meetings in the coming weeks leading up to free agency to discuss the situation and determine the contract length and structure that is “most sensible” for the 27-year-old.
The Lakers are expected to offer Davis whatever form of max contract he wants, whether it’s for one year or five, so it will be up to AD and Paul to decide the best route for the seven-time All-Star.
There are several factors to consider, including the state of the NBA’s salary cap for the next couple seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Davis will be eligible for a more lucrative “maximum” salary in 2022, when he’ll have 10 years of NBA experience and will be eligible for a starting salary worth 35% of the cap instead of 30%.
Assuming the cap doesn’t increase for the 2020/21 season, Davis would be in line for a max salary of $32,472,000 next season, which is why he’ll turn down his $28,751,774 option. If he tacks on extra years to his new deal, he can receive 8% annual raises, regardless of future salary cap increases. With so much uncertainty surrounding the cap, a multiyear deal that locks in those raises could end up being more player-friendly.
If Davis signs a two-year deal with a second-year player option or a three-year deal with a third-year player option, he’d be in a position to sign a new long-term contract in 2022. The hope would be that the NBA has mostly recovered from the impact of the coronavirus by that point and that the cap would be on the rise again. Even if it the cap hasn’t significantly increased by then though, it’d be a good time for Davis to sign a new contract that would start at 35% of the cap.
Davis, who was sent from New Orleans to Los Angeles last summer in a blockbuster trade, had a monster first year with the Lakers, averaging 26.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 2.3 BPG in 62 regular season games (34.4 MPG).
He finished sixth in MVP voting and second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, helping lead the club to the West’s No. 1 seed. He followed up a dominant regular season by recording 27.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.4 BPG in 21 postseason contests en route to the first title of his career.
Given the success he enjoyed as a Laker, there has never been any real doubt that Davis would re-up with the franchise, even if he was noncommittal when asked about it earlier this week following the team’s Game 6 win.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Probably for three years with a opt out after two so he can hit free agency as a 10 year vet and get a lot more from Lakers or whoever then he can this or next off season
You just repeated exactly what the article implied. Do you have a real point?
Do you have an original thought besides “Wiggins is not going to the Bucks?” Anything at all? No seriously do you have a real basketball opinion?
Remember before you start typing, I said basketball.
Yes even when they don’t get Giannis I think your warriors are the favorites for the title ! I don’t like Wiggins as the key player to a rebuilding team at all but think he can find a role with warriors to thrive in ! He will be a different version of Harrison Barnes
Favourites could be going a little bit far. I’m just hoping they make the playoffs and stay healthy and then they’ll be dangerous …, I think/hope.
You could be right about Harrison Barnes/ Andrew Wiggins. Barnes was a little more rigid and stronger and up right kind of player if you know what I mean. Wiggins is more slasher thin athletic and can create his own scoring opportunities that Barnes couldn’t.
Harrison Barnes could get up but that doesn’t mean he’s horizontally athletic and laterally mobile. Hopefully Wiggins can be that high flying circus act they’ve been lacking. Maybe a young Andre Iguodala?
Nice respectful basketball take. Thank you.
Time for the Lakers to open their wallets. I hope they don’t mind paying millions and millions of tax money to keep these guys.
The tax is temporary. Championship banners hang forever.
I’m with you guys. I’m a Warriors fan. We’ve got four guys making a hundred and thirty million dollars. Fortunately we have an owner and a business operation like the Lakers. A truckload of money coming in every year and three quarters of a truckload going out every year. Life is good on the top.
What position do you hold with the team Big Gary?
You’re going to have to elaborate. Not sure what team big is ??
Unless you’re one of those that doesn’t like it when fans say “we.” That’s the case with me, I’m a Warriors fan and they’ve seen a lot of my hard-earned money, so I say “we.” But I can change it to “they” because they have no idea I exist LOL. I’m just a fan. I can say they if we is wrong. I’m flexible, I’m easy going.
Ohhh, big as in Big Gary. I get it now. I’m not that big. I’m just a fan.
The Lakers make 200 million from Time Warner TV deal and 100 million from NBA TV deal they make 300 million per season before a single fan enters Staples.. they’ve never had a problem spending money
Thats perfect, because that was what they drew for most of the season this year :)
But but but the haters said he was a rental
The haters didn’t realize the wink-wink sign a max deal when the one year rental is up. I don’t know a single hater that didn’t know that in the back of their mind.
Those were just the idiots. Most real fans saw this from a mile away
It would be nice for Davis to stay and have James, Rondo, Kusma, Caruso, possibly Howard of warriors don’t sign him and who knows if John Wall will join the dynasty in L.A.