[ad_1]
LOS ANGELES – Anthony Davis is finalizing a five-year contract worth up to $ 190 million to return to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Davis’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, confirmed the terms of Davis’s pending free agent deal to The Associated Press on Thursday (Friday Manila time). The Lakers did not comment.
A day after LeBron James agreed to a two-year, $ 85 million contract extension with the Lakers through 2022-23, Davis made a commitment to the Lakers through the 2024-25 season. Davis’ deal includes an early termination clause before the fifth year, but the extended contract remains a clear statement that Davis, 27, sees his long-term future with the 17-time NBA champions.
James and Davis won an NBA championship in their association’s first season, and they return this month with new contracts and a solid repeat opportunity.
“Those are great contracts and they are well deserved,” veteran Lakers forward Markieff Morris said Thursday from the first training camp sessions. “It’s a great family and it was the best for everyone.”
Continue reading below ↓
Recommended Videos
The Lakers acquired Davis in a trade less than 18 months ago, sending most of their young core to New Orleans to acquire one of the best big men of his generation. Davis made the All-NBA first team three times and won six straight All-Star selections with the Pelicans, but only reached the second round of the playoffs once.
With Klutch clients James and Davis at their core, the Lakers immediately built a championship contender around them last season. Davis, 6-foot-10, quickly clicked alongside James, who became a point guard and led the NBA in assists to maximize the talent of Davis, who won his seventh consecutive All-Star pick.
James and Davis re-teamed in the central Florida bubble and led the Lakers to Davis ‘first NBA title and James’ fourth. The Lakers had missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons before their dynamic duo transformed the franchise into champions again, beating the Miami Heat in six games in the NBA Finals.
“Looking at AD and LeBron, everything they did was together,” said Dwight Howard, who won a ring with the Lakers before moving to Philadelphia as a free agent last month. “They exercised together, ate together, rolled dice together. We called them Los Hermanos. They were always together, playing video games, doing something.
MORE OF SPIN
“Even though there were games where LeBron had triple-doubles, he made sure to feed AD and AD came out,” added Howard. “I just think when you have two guys so they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win, it lifts team morale. They put everything on their shoulders. They knew they had guys around them, but it was like this,” Okay. , LeBron. Okay, AD. We have to do this. It starts with us. We have to be on the same page at all times. “They did a very good job with that.”
The Lakers are coming back with a roster around James and Davis that looks even better than last season’s championship squad. NBA veterans Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell have replaced Howard and JaVale McGee to keep Davis out of center spot during the regular season, while Wesley Matthews replaced inconsistent Danny Green at wing and talented point guard Dennis Schröder arrived for Relieve the pressure of ball handling. James.
Davis was never expected to leave the Lakers after he turned down a $ 28.7 million player option to become a free agent last month, but many league watchers thought Davis would opt for a shorter contract to maximize his mobility. as is the preference of many modern stars and Klutch Customers.
Instead, Davis chose the longest possible contract, albeit with an opt-out after four years. Had Davis established his contract to become a free agent in 2022, he could have re-signed to receive a starting salary equal to 35% of the team’s salary cap.
In truth, the differences between his current contract and that hypothetical contract are only a few million dollars, and for Davis, security with a title contender was clearly worth a few million.
Davis will earn more than $ 32.7 million this season, more than $ 35 million next season and almost $ 38 million in 2022-23. The fourth year of the contract is worth around $ 40 million and the fifth year it would be worth more than $ 43 million.
Davis stood out during his first season with the Lakers, averaging 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 blocks per game. In addition to hitting 50% of his shots and 84.6% of his free throws, the highest of his career, Davis was a dominant presence in the paint and on the wing throughout the year, while the Lakers played defense more. stingy from the Western Conference.
Davis finished second behind Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo in voting for NBA defensive player of the year.
Davis was even better in the playoff bubble, averaging 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks. He made 57% of his shots and 38% of his 3s, including a notable 3 winner in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against Denver.
Although the Lakers’ huge fan base was unable to attend his final championship run, Davis is already establishing himself among the great men of the franchise, a proud lineage that stretches from George Mikan and Wilt Chamberlain to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. , Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol.
Davis spent his first seven NBA seasons as the centerpiece of the Pelicans, but was only able to lead them to two playoff appearances, and requested a trade in February 2019. Players traded from Los Angeles to New Orleans for Davis included Brandon Ingram, who landed a five-year, $ 158 million deal from the Pelicans last month and playmaker Lonzo Ball.
___
AP sports writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
___
For more NBA updates, click here.
