LeBron James is not the only big-name member of the Los Angeles Lakers to work out an extension with the team this offseason. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Anthony Davis and the franchise hammered out an extension that will keep him in L.A. for the next five years, although it does include an Early Termination Option for the fifth year.
All-NBA forward Anthony Davis is finalizing a five-year, $190M maximum contract to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, @KlutchSports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN. The deal includes an early termination option prior to fifth season in 2024-2025. Deal could be signed as soon as today.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 3, 2020
The length of the extension Davis would sign caused much intrigue. It was unclear if he would want a shorter deal that allowed him to sign several more extensions and maintain a level of flexibility about where he played his basketball going forward — a move James frequently made earlier in his career — or plant his roots in Los Angeles on a long-term deal. Ultimately, in a bit of news that will assuredly make the Lakers organization happy, Davis opted for the latter.
Davis joined the Lakers this past offseason in a high-profile trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. There was a ton of pressure on Davis to come up big after the trade, in large part because of his public declarations that he wanted to move to L.A., and he delivered. Davis was a first-team All-NBA selection last season, stuffing the stat sheet with 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. And of course, Davis played a major role in the Lakers becoming NBA champions, marking the first time in his career that he hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy.
The expectations will still be incredibly high for Davis going forward, both because of how his first year went and because this is inherently something that will always exist with the Lakers. But for the next few years, he’ll do what he can to live up to the lofty expectations alongside James in L.A.