6:38pm: The Lakers have officially re-signed Davis to his new five-year max deal, the team announced in a press release.
“In the Orlando bubble, Anthony Davis proved he is one of the game’s most complete and dominant two-way players,” general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “Now, Lakers fans get to watch AD continue to grow and lead our franchise for years to come. This is truly a blessed moment for Lakers Nation.”
6:44am: The Lakers are finalizing a five-year, maximum-salary contract with star big man Anthony Davis, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal could be signed as soon as today, Woj notes.
Davis’ new five-year contract will have an overall value of approximately $189.9MM. As our breakdown of maximum salaries for 2020/21 shows, AD will earn $32.74MM this season and will receive 8% raises, increasing the value to $43.22MM by year five. According to Wojnarowski, the deal will include an early termination option prior to that fifth year, giving the seven-time All-Star the chance to opt out in 2024.
Davis entered free agency as the No. 1 player on the market and was always expected to re-sign with the defending champion Lakers on a new max contract. However, there was an expectation that he’d take his time to consider all his options in terms of the length and structure of that deal.
Most league observers believed Davis would opt for a shorter-term contract that would allow him to re-enter free agency in 2022, when he has 10 years of NBA experience under his belt and qualifies for a starting salary worth 35% of the salary cap instead of 30%. As Wojnarowski writes, the former No. 1 overall pick did consider several short-term contract scenarios as well as long-term options.
Ultimately, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Davis opted for long-term security and the largest possible chunk of guaranteed money he was eligible to receive at this point. He’ll still only be 31 years old in 2024 when he can re-enter free agency, so he should be in good position to sign a new max deal – starting at 35% of the cap – at that point.
Davis’ contract agreement comes on the heels of LeBron James reaching a deal with the Lakers to extend his contract through 2023. A report in the wake of that news indicated that James and Davis were making their contract decisions independent of one another, and the terms of AD’s new deal offer further confirmation of that. Rather than having one or both of their superstars reach free agency in 2021, the Lakers now have James locked up through ’23 and Davis under contract through at least ’24.
In his first year as a Laker following his trade from New Orleans, Davis showed in 2019/20 why Los Angeles was willing to give up a massive haul of players and picks to acquire him. He averaged 26.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 2.3 BPG in 62 regular season games (34.4 MPG), finishing sixth in Most Valuable Player voting. He was also the anchor of the Lakers’ defense and was the runner-up in the Defensive Player of the Year vote.
Having appeared in just 13 playoff games in his seven seasons prior to 2020, Davis came up big for L.A. during the team’s championship run, recording 27.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 3.5 APG with an impressive .571/.383/.832 shooting line in 21 postseason contests.
With Davis officially off the board, all 50 of our top free agents of 2020 have now reached contract agreements with NBA teams.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
free ride
People don’t care which superstar the Knicks will sign next summer
I care
You are literally the only one.
And, apparently, he is not among “people.” He’s a robot! Get him!
Griffin…
Rob Pelinka, SO hot right now The morning after locking up LeBron to an additional guaranteed year, adding AD on a five year deal (four if/when he decides to opt out). I, like most Lakers fans, assumed AD was set to sign a one & one or a three year, w/ the PO on that third year, when Bron will most likely be inking the FINAL contract of his illustrious career… At that point in time, 2023, I think it’ll be safe to assume LeBron inks a five year, max deal — health permitting — taking him into nearly his mid-40’s. If it were ANYONE else, I’d say that’d be a silly contract for the Lakers to hand out, but as we saw with KB24, the Lakers REALLY take care of their own legends. And if LBJ & AD maximize their talents, w/ Pelinka wrapping those two in supporting casts that alone can probably win 20+ games… At any rate, LETS. FUXN. ROCK. Say what you will, but with where he is positioned & locked in for awhile, the teams he’ll be flying with, & the possibility of Bronny donning the Purple n Gold as an 18 year old, LeBron James could very realistically end his career with 6-8 chips. And with 8 rings in the trophy case, that would no doubt cement LBJ as the legit GOAT.
**Side Note: Rich Paul, in the last two days & including endorsements, made around $68 to $80 million, which is on the conservative side too.
#KLUTCHDYNASTY
#RichPaulHasPerfectedHisCraft
Giving Pelinka credit for these deals is like giving a waiter credit for cooking the meal.
He’s just executing the transactions.
Lol
Will you order whats in the menu if the waiter did not present them in a way you gonna like them?
Pelinka has been doing a very good job with the Lakers, especially considering the mess he had to fix thanks to Jim Buss, who was basically just running the organization right into the ground.
Yet other GM’s have been with teams longer then Pelinca and haven’t done much to improve their teams in years!
Even though Lebron had a great career he will never be the GOAT over MJ.
I agree that Jordan will always be on top, but Lebron is as close a second as we are likely to see for a long time, I think. My favorite is Kobe, but I can be objective…after Jordan and Lebron, there are several who round out the next five, and Kobe is one of them. Magic, Kareem, Russell..there are others, but one and two…I have to say, in the end, it will likely be Jordan and Lebron, in that order.
as great as MJ you’re seeing him to be, he also needed pippen or some good supporting cast.
And how many superstars has Lebron had play with??? Hmmm and how many teams he had to leave hmmm?
Ummmmm the lakers aren’t gonna be in any position to grab bronny….he’s projected to be a top 3 pick right now so in a couple years when it’s actually time for his draft he will have only grown and gotten better, and a team picking that year in the top 3 could be a team like Sac, Charlotte, or possibly the Knicks is taking him one cause of the talent and two because they know whoever lands bronny probably gets lebron for the last year or two of his career… bronny to LA ain’t happening there not gonna be in a spot to trade for the pic short of offering AD
Stlcards actually bron is projected to go in mid 20s according to several draft sites. If he goes straight from high school he might end up on lakers or he could go to college and come out 2024 who knows
Lebron will be lucky to get to 6, finishing 6-7 (I expect a loss over the course of his contract) doesn’t overtake mj (6-0) or Kareem(6-3)in my eyes and even Kobe(5-2). Top 10 for sure.
Gotta have a super team so LBJ doesn’t fail again
Exactly. LBJ and Klutch have to win, protect the brand at all cost.
The ‘leaked’ anonymous agent rant some weeks ago say’s it well.
“Transcendent talent, but an overchoreographed public image and off-the-court persona,” the agent said. “Too obviously rehearsed and planned. Not genuine. An obsession with creating a legacy instead of letting the legacy create itself.”
I agree with the assessment, he’s one of the greatest to play, but everything has to be planned out well to the point of collusion – to protect the brand and force-create a legacy.
Legacy isn’t supposed to be self-proclaimed, marketed, branded. Legacy is the infallible opinion that other people have of you.
Well stated.
A basketball team trys to win? This is how weak the LeBron haters arguments are. Yall need to take off the tin foil hats
When has LBJ “failed”? The only Finals he should have won (i.e., when his team wasn’t the underdog) was 2011. I’m pretty indifferent about LeBron and the Lakers but dems the facts.
I would say the Lebron heat were slight favorite over the Spurs in 2014. The first two times GS faced the Cavs Lebron it was an even matchup . The last two time it was overwhelming GS advantage .
Better Q? When has losing in the NBA finals been considered a failure?? It wasnt in the 90’s, dont think it was early 2000’s….
Its just a soggy waffle narrative society seems to be in love with right now…. Wake up folks your missing the show….Love/Respect for anything other than your own is NOT a weakness
Making it to the finals no matter what sport means exactly nothing if you lose
Agree with you!
For example Magic Johnson is so great because he made it to 9 finals, not because he won 5, IMO!
Getting to 9 finals in 13 season, that is legend!
5 rings in 13 is good, but not so much!
The Soggy Waffle Narrative Society is the worst book club ever!
Lebron haters grasp at any straws they can see…even the imaginary ones. In fact, usually the imaginary ones.
LBJ needs the super team to win
What a surprise AD stays in LA. Hopefully some team beats the Lakers in the playoffs.
Someone will, in either the 2nd or 3rd round.
Hate to tell you this but every multi champion has a super team.. showtime lakers worthy, magic and Kareem, celtics in 80’’s bird, mchale, parish. rockets Olajuwon and drexler.. mj had pippen.. he also had Horace grant and then later kukoc and Rodman..lebron is no different but he has also taken some scrub teams to the finals.. The biggest fraud of a multi champ is kd.. he had to join a super team to get a ring
I don’t consider the Lakers a “super team.” The team that won last year was LeBron, AD, and bunch of role players and journeymen.
The hate for lebron is laughable.. they said he couldn’t win in west.. he did.. everyone has an excuse of why lebron only wins with stacked teams.. duh, most title teams are stacked.. Kobe laker teams were horrible until they traded for pau. But nobody ever mentions that..
What’s even more laughable is how many Lakers fans hate on him.
It’s sad.. he is a great basketball player.. enjoy lebron while he’s still playing.. who cares who the goat is..
Lebron didn’t make the playoffs his first year in the West. Granted that he got injured, but it’s not as if he rushed to get back to the court – it was clear to most that the team wasn’t going anywhere far, if they made the playoffs.
Lebron pushed the defcon button and had his Klutch puppets go get AD. Yes, he did it. Not Pelinka.
Lebron also plays the GM role to go where he wants to go and to a large degree, play with who he wants to play.
For all the hate and disdain MJ had with Krause, he played and worked with, the roster that Krause built. No going behind his back, no sports agency collusion, no calling rivals to team-up.
Therein lies the biggest difference between Lebron and MJ ……… oh, and the fact that MJ never did proclaim himself as the GOAT.
Like I posted earlier, legacy shouldn’t be self-proclaimed, marketed and branded. True legacy is the infallible, universal opinion that people have of you.
The Lakers were 4th in the West when Lebron got injured. Try again.
Everyone needs a super team to win… especially dudes like Jordan, Kobe, Duncan & Curry!
Milwaukee lucked out with Giannis. Here’s to hoping they don’t squander his loyalty.
There was no reason for him to even give slight consideration to the bulls or Knicks they suck and their young cores suck big time !
You do realize if AD would bring a Championship to NY it would mean more than LA. It’s really a shame that every year only 3-4 teams have a chance to win a Championship. However I know I wouldn’t be complaining if my team was one of the four. NYK needs to be great again and no one willing to take on the city.
Two words… James Dolan.
Until he sells the team, free agents will mostly steer clear.
This is why NBA ratings are down.
The ratings for practically everything are down. There’s a bazillion streaming services and youtube and sports and entertainment options galore. More people are watching things but it’s spread out over 1000x more things.
The NBA playoffs should have been a smash if they got started in good time when people were hungry for live sports, like June, before the urge for all that heavy messaging overhead. But Silver slow-played it, and ultimately it had to compete with other choices and a grumpy population.
Well let’s analyze why only 3-4 teams have a chance to win… Denver is a player away from being a legit contender…what did they do this off season? Lose Grant, let Craig walk for nothing and press the panic button and kept Millsap. If Millsap gets hurt, they are gonna trust Porter Jr??? Bol Bol? I get that they couldn’t get Holiday,Schroder but not even a trade attempt for Oladipo or Derozen??? Orlando is still a mediocre team, they could have made moves to get better but instead they love Aaron Gordon too much. Many GM’s don’t wanna win, a good amount are contend with being almost contender worthy(Denver) or fringe mediocre (Orlando).
That means Giannis is signing the super max with Milwaukee
Because you thought the Lakers were hoping to structure contracts around getting Giannis on the team next year? The cap math and rules were never going to fit that. Guys would have to take too much of a pay cut to get under the cap rules to make that happen. It was a media pipe dream that sold some stories.
Yeah really it’s been he resigns or goes to Dallas. The Freak to the Lakers noise was media nonsense
It was poster nonsense; not sure if the media played it up. It seems too stupid for the media to take ahold of but they can surprise.
Nothing is too stupid for the media. Nothing is too stupid for people in general.
Lakers are not better than the NBA. I doubt they win again. Yes they are contenders. But they can be beat. This is not a super team. You should let the games play before crowning teams. Signing AD is big for the team. With Harrell gives them a good core and mix. Also helps Bron age better. Lakers have flaws and new players need to adjust. They are defending champs. And this is good news for team and organization.
Doubting the lakers repeat but I’m even more sure the clippers won’t win the title either! It’s good for the nba that the clippers never win a title
Lakers cap room is $16 million next summer
That is if Kuzma becomes a FA. They are a lot like the Warriors now with all their money in the starting team and very little in the bench.
Arc89 what are you talking about?
Schroder 15 million
Kcp 12.5 million
Harrell 9 million
Caruso 3 million
Kuzma 3.5 million
Wesley Mathews 3.5 million
Gasol 3.5 million
Saying they don’t spend on there bench is completely wrong lol, sorry warriors won’t win again!
If Schroder, KCP, and Harrell are all bench players then who is starting besides LBJ and AD?
The starters should be gasol, Ad, lebron, Mathews and Kcp
Bench
Schroeder, caruso, kuzma, Morris and Harrell
If Lakers1 is correct, then tatsu put 3 #starters on his backups list. Which, is consistent with how he uses numbers. And where is Giannis, tatsu?— in Milwaukee. And he calls others dumb.
Gasol or Harrell can start. That’s not an issue. All Their new players fitting in. And Bron getting up in age. I think are the bigger ones. Still a top team but there are gonna be adjustments.
Hey Sherlock we are talking next year. kuzma, Caruso, and ect… will be FA. They will not have the money to sign for a deep bench. That is why a dynasty in the NBA is most impossible. Just like the Bucks after they sign Giannis they will have nothing left for their bench.
This Warriors fan “Lakers bench Lakers bench Lakers becnh” dude your button is broken. 6th man of the year. The better value Morris Twin. Caruso. Lakers bench is fine.
We are talking next year. That is why they signed both AD and Lebron after paying out the bench. Now they have no money to use next year.
The Lakers just won a championship and are set to compete for more in the coming years. That is a far cry from where the Warriors sit right now. There is no comparison between the Lakers and Warriors.
lakers are not as good as you want them to be. The west will be a dog fight this year. 1 injury to AD or Lebron the season is over for the Lakers. There will be no time to rest up like last year.
One injury for the Warriors already killed their season…and even with Thompson they were an early playoff exit.
The Warriors are done…no one is concerned about them. The Lakers just won a championship and are set to compete for more. The Warriors won’t even come close to competing for a ring ny time soon. That’s reality…reality, which is not prevalent among Northern Californians in general. I spent 15 years there…never met one Warriors fan. Suddenly they re everywhere once the team won a ring. Laughable fan base.
I omit the letter ‘a.’ That’s my thing
dude that BS about no warriors fans is such a lie. So explain how they sold out their games when they had a bad team??? How do they have a longer streak of sell outs than the Lakers? Wait for your lies.
Its going to be fun laughing at you when the Lakers to booted from the playoffs.
Arc, you are grasping at straws, just like typical Warriors fans do…and Rockets fans do. Stick to bickering with Rockets fans…that is your place.
Leo I bet you will change your name when the Lakers get booted. Hide from the comebacks like all those Cavs fans did. Unlike you i support a team when they don’t win but you are a bandwagon fan. Let me guess you have a Bucks shirt in the closet just in case.
When your season revolves around rooting for another team to fail you know you have arrived in Loser Town USA –
@the human rain delay. Exactly what 22Leo was doing cheering Thompson injury. Claiming the warrior season is already over. For some reason you were cheering his comment. Or am I wrong about that?
I didn’t “cheer” Thompson’s injury, just acknowledged that it killed any chance that team has to compete for a championship. That was a devastating loss for their season. Again, typical Northern California mentality…putting words in people’s mouths.
@arc89: ‘lakers are not as good as you want them to be.’
They literally just won the championship and potentially improved themselves this offseason.
Also, amazing insight here:
‘1 injury to AD or Lebron the season is over for the Lakers.’
I mean, wow. One injury to one of their two superstars would end their season? Tell me more. What if *both* of them get injured? Season still over? What if all of the players quit and the team somehow folds? Season over? Y/N?
@rct The NBA is more competitive this year than last year. Since you think they are the best team ever I will put that down for you. Yes 1 injury changes a playoff series. lakers were lucky last year to have a full team and other teams they played had lots of injuries. So I will put you down for claiming there is no reason for the Lakers not to dominate the whole season. I will remind you of this at the end of the year.
Seriously, arc, you represent the Northern California mentality perfectly.
But but Harden Westbrick MVPs said AD was signing a 1+1 and leaving next year.
Yeah a lot of people who hate and fear the Lakers participated in that wishful thinking.
Before that, he said AD was leaving this offseason. And he said it over and over, for every AD article. He is shameless.
I think Kuzma is a key. Will he hit expectations and become the guy with AD. Or will they get tired of waiting and move him. He could be gone by TD.
I’ve always thought of Kuzma as being very overrated, and that opinion has only increased with time. Personally, I have been wanting the Lakers to trade him for a while, and I think his value just continues to drop.
Yeah I hear you. I think this yr is decision time with Kuz. I can tell you Pistons like him. He’s from the area. This could be where the best deal is for Lakers.
50/50 Kuz gets dealt……. Only problem is he makes so little –
Him and Mckkinie together are less than 6 mill
I think the Lakers are shooting too high here on their past demands for him – All this might not even matter tho now as it appears birds (rights) going to be the word with us the next 3 yrs ish
Still think Kuz finds away to talk himself outta Hollywood via Instagram before the deadline… How ironic is that !!
I believe Kuzma has a lot of talent but it’s being suffocated in LA. He needs a change of scenery, a start with a franchise that requires a solid wing scorer.
Kuzma was doomed when LJ showed up with standards. It is hard not to see a flash of potential, but nobody wants him, so he stays. Pelican GM Griffen took a distant first instead, left him behind in the AD trade.
His importance increases though as a rim protector and load management backup. So he will not be traded again!
+ those bird rights have to be seen as a big luxury now-
Still think he finds a way to post his way out on IG-
We’ve seen with LBJ your either on board or out the door
I like kuzma’s minutes be given to talen horton-tucker.
Kuzma is a good player for a bad team
Fox is a good player for a bad team
Lakers would not give Fox 163 million contract
They preferred moose and squirrel
He ShoUld HaVE TaKen LesS MonEy So ThEy CouLD SiGn GianNIS
I don’t think signing Giannis was ever a realistic option, but the media loves to create and push empty rumors to hook naive people.
When there is nothing interesting to report, just make something up. That seems to be the method of operation for many “journalists.”
I think when it comes to the lakers, lakers don’t need to maneuver to get giannis.. giannis needs to maneuver to be a laker.. lakers are already a title team without him.. these other players would be joining a championship organization that they will earn off the court in LA..
A player must never, ever, ever, ever, ever… take less $$$ for the team!
They must take all they can & demand the team to keep improving in other ways, that is how you know a FO is good, just been cheap & taking money from your players doesn’t show any good skill from FO, ya know!
Next on the agenda:
Getting Max Contract to sign a Max Contract !!
He will make $43 million dollars in year 5 of this contract. Just to contrast, Charles Barkley is estimated to have made $40,608,000 total in his 14 year career. #justforfun
Better than CP3, Harden, Westbrick, and Wall. Anyone else the Rockets want at some point too.