In the offseason of 2023, the Lakers mainly focused on maintaining core continuity, which helped them achieve an impressive turnaround in the most recent season. Despite the topic of LeBron’s retirement, the Lakers still have a lot of plans for this offseason. This week, they reached the most important part, that is, the first day when they were eligible to renew their contracts in anthony davis. According to The Athletic’s sources, he reached a three-year contract with the Lakers with a maximum salary of $186 million.
Overall, the 30-year-old Davis will work with the Lakers for five years, with a contract value of about $270.5 million. After re-signing Austin Reeves, Ba Cun Bases and Russell earlier this summer, another offseason goal of Los Angeles is to leave a cornerstone for the Lakers’ future, that is, to renew Davis’ contract in advance.
This three-year contract renewal ensures that Davis will remain a member of the Lakers until 2028, anchoring him as a bridge to the next basketball era after the Lakers era in lebron james (whether because of retirement or joining another team).
Davis has two years left on his current contract, totaling $83.8 million, and he is eligible to renew it on Friday. Davis and the Lakers need to reach a contract agreement before October 23rd (the day before the start of the regular season). Rob Pelinka, vice president and general manager of Lakers basketball operations, and Ricky Paul, Davis’ agent and CEO of Klutch Sports, were inspired by the team news, and they hoped to complete the signing as soon as possible.
Davis’ new contract will take effect in the 2025-26 season, which is the largest contract renewal in NBA history. It is estimated that the average annual salary is about 62 million US dollars.
"As a member of the Lakers, I have a very high opinion of anthony davis." Pelinka said in Las Vegas on July 9. "He helped our team win the championship. He is an incredible captain and leader. Last year, we saw that he was willing to stick to the game in the case of injury and took our team to the Western Conference finals. Therefore, I am very happy that he is a member of our team. "
This renewal is a win-win situation for both parties. The Lakers have ensured the stability in the next five years, and no longer need to worry about the disaster scenario that after LeBron retired, Davis chose to quit his contract and become a free agent next summer. At the same time, Davis also gained a long-term sense of security. If he did not renew his contract and was injured again this season, this sense of security may no longer exist.
This is the second time that the four-time All-Star has chosen to maintain immediate certainty with the Lakers instead of taking risks to pursue a longer-term contract. As early as 2020, after the Lakers won the championship, Davis signed a five-year contract with a total amount of $190 million, instead of signing a short-term contract-then returning to the free market in 2021-and then signing a five-year contract.
At that time, it took Davis more than a week to sign with the Lakers. This time, the two sides reached an agreement within a few hours.
If anything, this renewal may be more beneficial to the Lakers, considering that they will save a lot of money in this contract compared with the situation of their expired contract. Because another situation might happen, Davis refused to renew his contract, but chose to exercise his right to jump out of the contract in advance and become a free agent in 2024.
Davis was entitled to sign a five-year contract worth more than $304 million (basically the same as Jaylen Brown’s contract)-plus the salary for the new season, it is equivalent to six years, and the total amount will be $344.5 million instead of five years, with a total amount of $270.5 million, a difference of more than $70 million. The Lakers will eventually pay Davis less than his maximum annual salary in the 2024-25 season and reduce the risk at the end of this contract. Remarks: Davis was only 35 years old when the current contract ended, but in another case, Davis was 36 years old! )
Last season, Davis re-established his position among the top ten players in the league, averaging 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds (the highest in his career, the most for players with more than 50 games), 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.0 blocks per game, in 56 games. His hit rate (56.3) and true hit rate (62.7) are the highest in his career.
At the beginning of the season, there were signs that the Lakers were handing over the offense to Davis, even carrying the whole team to a great extent. However, a complicated foot injury in mid-December made him miss 20 consecutive games, and on the offensive end, he never returned to his original level (his average score was 28.1 points before the injury and 24.7 points after the injury). Nevertheless, after James tore his hamstring in February, Davis tried to make a comeback as soon as possible, and the team led the team to play a good performance after strengthening at the trade deadline.
In the playoffs, Davis dominated both offensive and defensive ends, averaging 22.6 points, 14.1 rebounds (the most in the playoffs), 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.1 blocked shots (the most in the playoffs) in 16 games. In the first two rounds, he was the best defender in the league, and it was not until the attack against nikola jokic in the Western Conference finals that he was slightly restrained (even so, Davis averaged 26.8 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.8 blocks in four games against Denver). Equally important, Davis played 47 times in the team’s last 50 games, including 26 consecutive games (this is his longest consecutive appearance since the 2016-17 season).
Of course, this renewal is not without obvious shortcomings for the Lakers. Davis has a long history of injuries, which is worrying for a player who will turn 35 at the end of his contract. There is enough data to show that he will miss at least 15 to 20 games every season. In Los Angeles, he missed at least 26 games for three consecutive seasons, including two missed 36 or more games. Since the 2017-18 season, he has not played 65 or more games for four consecutive seasons.
It is possible for the Lakers to find a way to manage his load, so that he can play less time when he enters the age of 30, or rest during back-to-back games. But every time he is injured, and the situation happens more than anyone else, there is always a worry that he may be seriously injured.
Another less discussed problem is that Davis, as a big man who can project from outside, his projection efficiency drops sharply. One of the reasons why the Lakers are so strong in the 2019-20 season, especially in the playoffs in the NBA bubble, is Davis’ impressive jump shot. His most famous scene as a Lakers player is still his winning three points in the second game of the 2020 Western Conference Finals.
Since then, Davis’s shooting has regressed, especially the three-pointers (in every season in Los Angeles, his shooting frequency has decreased year by year, and his three-pointer percentage has been 26.0% or lower for three consecutive seasons). If Davis can’t restore his shooting touch, the Lakers will continue to be limited in building the lineup and the best lineup (if Davis can’t open the lineup as before, then the concept of building the lineup of two big men is absurd).
In addition, there is the problem of Davis’ offensive stability, which is partly due to his shooting problem. In the playoffs, Davis’s offensive performance every other game-he scored more than 20 points three times in a row-won the nickname "alternate day" from cynical fans, which was a joke on his AD abbreviation. In the playoffs in 2023, his score dropped by a third (from 25.9 to 22.6), and sometimes the Lakers felt that they needed more performance on the offensive end.
At this point, it is certain that Davis’ offensive limit is still as high as that of Jokic, Brother Alphabet and joel embiid (see the first game of the 2020 Western Conference Finals against Denver), but his offensive reliability is not as good as those players in every night’s game. Nevertheless, as long as James maintains the level before the foot injury and players like Reeves, Ba Cun Bases and Christie continue to grow, the Lakers should be able to offset Davis’ offensive instability next season.
Even with these concerns, the Lakers must make a decision to renew their contracts in advance. Not long ago, seven or eight years ago, they couldn’t sign a superstar. Before James signed the contract in 2018, the Lakers were in trouble when they were looking for a player to replace the old Kobe Bryant. Their young core is exciting, but these players have not yet become superstars with championship-level strength. James’ joining attracted Davis who wanted to leave New Orleans after seven seasons.
The Lakers have rebuilt their reputation and remain one of the best destinations in the league. But the free agent market no longer works as it used to. Superstars rarely change teams in this way, but often re-sign with their existing teams and then ask for a change of teams through transactions. At present, the Lakers don’t have enough assets to be used to acquire superstars through trading. Letting Davis leave the free market (creating a lot of salary space) or trying to trade with other stars (or finally getting a star through a series of transactions) is no longer a wise strategy like in previous seasons.
With Davis’ health, the upper limit of the Lakers is clear: they are one of the best teams in the league and have the ability to win or compete for the championship. Davis maintained a healthy season twice, the Lakers won a championship and entered the Western Conference finals. Even in 2021, the Lakers maintained a 2-1 series advantage against the Phoenix Suns (who entered the NBA Finals that season), and then Davis withdrew in the fourth game due to a hamstring injury.
At his peak, Davis was still one of the best 10 to 12 players in the league, and even one of the best two centers (he and Embiid). Those who accuse him of unstable attack often ignore his defensive dominance. In his first two seasons with the Lakers, the Lakers ranked the top three in defense. After the trade deadline last season, once he had the right defensive players around him, the Lakers became the best defensive team in the league. He is only 30 years old, and he still has a long peak. (Pelinka confirmed in July that the Lakers are confident that Davis can fully recover from the stress reaction of his right foot and the fracture of his spur. )
Unlike the previous offseason, the Lakers have begun to plan their future lineup. The contracts of Reeves, Bacunlei and Gabe Vincent will last at least until 2025, and now Davis’ contract will last until 2028. James will enter his 21st season, and he has player options in 2024-2025. In view of the uncertainty surrounding his future, the Lakers need to keep Davis. It is a wise decision to renew him.
In the future, Davis will be the mainstay of the Lakers’ marketing to potential superstar teammates. According to Spotrac, Brother Alphabet, Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell may all become free agents in 2025, if they reject the player option.
By that time, Davis will be 32 years old, and may have entered the downhill stage of his career, but his versatile skill combination and potential outside stars are attractive qualities. He should continue to maintain his position as an outstanding defender and insider overlord in the game in the next few years; Davis has been quietly adjusting his game style in the past few seasons because his injury has weakened some of his athletic abilities. His willingness to back down and accept the choice of being the top number two star-just as he and James joined the Lakers at their peak-shows that another superstar can sign a contract in Los Angeles and take on more leading roles and spotlight.
Some people may be surprised by Davis’ contract, but if Davis retires tomorrow, his time in Los Angeles will undoubtedly be a successful chapter.
After arriving from New Orleans in a big deal in 2019, Davis and James helped the Lakers win the championship in 2020. Last season, he almost helped the Lakers win the second championship. Many people think that Davis is the best player of the Lakers in their Western Conference finals. If there were any doubts before-in fact, there shouldn’t be-Davis’s No.3 jersey will one day be hung on the top floor of Arena, Crypto.com, along with the jerseys of other great Lakers big players, such as George McCann, wilt chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, shaquille o’neal and pau gasol.
Until then, Davis and the Lakers will continue to maintain their fruitful partnership after the formal contract renewal, which will provide both sides with the stability they seek.