On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers offered superstar big man Anthony Davis a max contract.
Instead of accepting the deal, however, Davis alerted the team that he will bypass the in-season extension to become a free agent this offseason.
“The Lakers offered their star forward Anthony Davis a four-year, $146 million max extension on Tuesday, but they were informed that he will be bypassing an in-season extension in favor of entering unrestricted free agency in July, league sources told Yahoo Sports,” Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports wrote.
While this news could cause panic amongst Lakers fan, Haynes went on to explain that the decision is purely a financial one. It should not be taken as an indication that Davis does not intend to remain in L.A. past this season.
“No one within league circles anticipates Davis leaving the Lakers after one season,” he wrote.
“Davis waived his no-trade clause to complete the blockbuster deal that sent him to L.A. last summer, and in doing so, he was restricted from signing an extension for six months.
“Jan. 7 is the day the restriction is removed.
“Now, the six-time All-Star will be eligible to receive a five-year, $202 million max contract in the summer.”
Last summer, the Lakers put together a blockbuster deal to acquire Davis and pair him with star LeBron James. In Davis’ first year with the Lakers, he has proven to be a transcendent addition.
So far this season, Davis is averaging 27.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.6 blocks per game.
While the Lakers will not be able to lock him up prior to the 2020 offseason, the organization surely hopes to keep Davis around for as long as possible.
That fact will become even more true if Davis is able to help bring a title to Los Angeles by the end of the 2019-2o campaign.
