From Timothy Rapp of B/R:
Anthony Davis is going to be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers for the foreseeable future.
The Lakers and Davis are finalizing a five-year, $190 million max contract Thursday. His agent, Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul, confirmed details of the deal to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
His re-signing comes one day after LeBron James inked a two-year, $85.7 million extension with L.A. through the 2022-23 campaign.
The Lakers’ trade for Davis was one of the biggest moves of the 2019 offseason, and it came at a high cost.
The Lakers gave up Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and a slew of draft considerations: The 2019 No. 4 overall pick; a 2021 first-round pick that will go to the Pelicans if it lands in the top eight and will become an unprotected 2022 first-rounder if it doesn’t convey; unprotected pick-swap rights in 2023; and an unprotected first-rounder in 2024 that the Pelicans can defer until 2025.
While it was a huge haul for the Pelicans, for a Lakers team that was desperate to add a second star alongside James, it was a necessary deal to complete. And after the Lakers won a title this year, it was an investment that has already paid dividends.
That Davis signed a new contract with the Lakers isn’t surprising—it was no secret that Davis and his agent, Rich Paul, were angling to get him to the Lakers since he first made a trade demand during the 2018-19 season. It also wasn’t a surprise he hit free agency before agreeing to the deal—it was reported after the trade that Davis would wait until this offseason to sign an extension with the team rather than doing so during the season.
It’s all kosher for the Lakers, who now have a commitment from Davis through the 2024-25 season.
And the 27-year-old Davis is firmly in his prime years. He has already played in seven All-Star Games and is a four-time first-team All-NBA selection. He’s arguably the best two-way big man in the NBA, with only a healthy Joel Embiid making a run at that distinction.
And while James is 35, the Lakers can build around Davis for the next half-decade. Add Davis to the long line of superstars to play for the Lakers, with the organization hoping he’ll also join the elite list of stars to win multiple titles in Los Angeles.
