This summer, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis will become eligible for a three-year contract extension worth about $167 million.
While the 30-year-old Davis has certainly been a key ingredient to L.A.’s formula in recent years, NBA insider Dave McMenamin isn’t so sure that the team is going to be interested in giving Davis an extension this offseason.
“You hope Anthony Davis stays healthy and you get the best out of him next year,” McMenamin said during a radio appearance. “But I don’t think they’re going to be in a position to be interested in a long-term extension for him this summer.”
Davis is under contract through at least the 2023-24 season. He has an early termination option on his deal for the 2024-25 season. The earliest he could become a free agent is the 2024 offseason.
McMenamin’s colleague Brian Windhorst has a different view of Davis’ situation. He thinks the Lakers will try to lock the veteran down this offseason.
“They do not want him messing with free agency in 2024,” Windhorst said. “That’s a primary offseason thing for the Lakers. Get Anthony Davis locked down, past even when LeBron James is signed for.”
The Lakers have a lot to consider when it comes to Davis’ future with the team, including his age, injury history and L.A.’s trajectory as a franchise.
But if the 2022-23 season were any indication, Davis is still capable of playing like one of the best bigs in the NBA, which is perhaps the most important data point of all to consider. He averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in the 2022-23 regular season across a 56-game sample size.
If the Lakers were to extend the eight-time All-Star, there would be a good chance of him staying with the franchise beyond the James years. He would almost certainly become the face of the franchise in that case, and the Lakers would likely remain relevant in the Western Conference.
But there’s a big difference between relevance and legitimate contention, which the Lakers know perhaps better than anyone. These are some of the factors the team needs to consider when it comes to the Davis situation.
One thing seems like a safe bet: Davis has at least one more season ahead of him in Los Angeles. If James opts to return to the Lakers in the 2023-24 campaign, the duo will look to do some damage and win another NBA title.
