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That Anthony Davis remains a Laker this offseason has seemed like a foregone conclusion from the time the team acquired him in a trade during the summer of 2019, but the team made it official on Thursday, signing Davis to a five-year contract. years and $ 190 million. .
In your first interview since you signed the deal, Davis Confirmed to Spectrum SportsNet’s Chris McGee That I would never go anywhere
“I just wanted to take the process day by day. Obviously, winning the championship with LA was great. The team that put together Rob (Pelinka) and Jeanie (Buss), and Linda (Rambis) and all the people in the main office was amazing, and we did something special. Especially with everything that is happening in 2020.
“I don’t think there was any doubt that I was coming back, I was just trying to figure out the logistics and what was best for me and my family, and I was able to come to an agreement today. So I’m excited about that, and excited about what Dudz calls’ the big 3 ‘, with him and me and’ Bron, so it’s going to be a great time. We have another big task ahead of us, the team is looking great, the guys have been exercising, so I’m excited. “
But while Davis stayed in Los Angeles it wasn’t surprising by any means, the length of time he signed is. Most expected him to sign a short-term contract and return to free agency next summer, when LeBron James could have entered free agency before signing a two-year, $ 85 extension on Thursday, or the following summer, when Davis would have had 10 years of experience and could have been eligible for a maximum contract worth 35% of the limit, instead of the 30% he got on this deal.
So why didn’t Davis wait? He told McGee that the answer is pretty simple.
“Los Angeles is where I wanted to be. They do a great job … just bringing the team together. It is the place where I wanted to be, where I love to be. I am here during the summers and now I live here full time for the next five years. So I thought it was great to be five years old and here in the place that I love, and I don’t plan on going anywhere. So why not max it out this time? “
The reason for the ellipsis above? Davis was interrupted by his “agent” mid-reply.
Ah, the dangers of making calls from home. We’ve all been there at this point in the pandemic, right?
Davis also said that James’ extension was also not important to his decision, even stating (somewhat doubtfully) that he had no idea about it until it was reported Wednesday, and as to illustrate that alleged lack of knowledge, he even confused the numbers in the James’ deal, which caused him to lose nearly $ 40 million.
“To be honest, I didn’t know what LeBron was going on. He didn’t know he was signing the deal. Rich doesn’t involve me in LeBron’s contract business. I found out the day everyone found out that I was signing for two (years) $ 48 (million), I mean two for $ 85 (million), sorry ‘Bron (laughs) “.
However, he added that he was not surprised that LeBron joined him in committing to the Lakers longer.
“I wasn’t (surprised). I know he still loves the game and is ready to continue playing basketball for the Lakers organization, obviously talking about being able to play basketball with his son, and I wasn’t surprised by the extent. After doing something special like that with a big group of guys, it’s hard to leave LA Nation. “
And with those two together, the Lakers hope it will be difficult for either of them to want to leave for the foreseeable future.
Davis also shared some thoughts on a few other topics in his interview with McGee, which we will see below.
On the new players the Lakers brought in
“I think Dennis (Schröder) was the one who surprised me the most. Just for the fact that he didn’t expect it to happen. You hear rumors and things like that, but you don’t really get involved because you don’t know what is real and what is not. And when I saw the exchange go through, I thought, “Wow, we really just had Dennis Schroder.” Someone who is tough on the defensive end, great on offense, tough. In the same way we played last year, it fits perfectly into that mold.
“You lose a lot of guys … We wish ‘Do, DG, QC, Dwight,’ Okay, AB luck with their respective teams, and without those guys we wouldn’t have been able to win a championship, sure. But we added some guys to take over. their roles, and I think we did very well. “
Davis is the first player I’ve ever heard JaVale McGee call simply “Okay,” but what’s most notable is that he clearly likes the Lakers’ offseason moves, and you wonder if they’re part of what gave him confidence. commit for longer than anyone predicted. Especially the addition of Schröder, whose talent he obviously appreciates.
On what he did during the Lakers’ short break after winning the championship
“I took a couple of vacations. It’s like letting my body heal. But not much. We really didn’t have much time, like you said, we start next week, a couple of weeks, and then we go back. The most I did was relax a bit at home, have some time to see my family again, you see, the little girl came here, I love spending time with her. But I’m just trying to prepare for next season. It’s going to be a shorter season with a quick change for us, but I’m ready to go. “
That’s good news, because it seems that workouts will start in full on Sunday.
On how motivated he is for this season
“I’m very motivated. I want to do it again. When we won the Western Conference Finals, LeBron said, ‘Wait until you win a championship and you have that trophy.’ Your love of winning just grows, and ever since I’ve held that trophy, I just want to do it again. If you want to hold that trophy over and over again, you get addicted to winning.
“I want that feeling again, I want to be able to hold that Larry O’Brien trophy again, and become a meme again where I cry and people use it for everything (laughs). But that was a good meme! I’m ready to start over and I’m ready to join this group of guys and get back to work so I can lift one of those trophies again. “
This only adds more fuel to the fire of Jared Dudley’s theory that Davis is going to seek his first MVP award this year, but it seems like that’s not his main focus. Repeating as champions it is, which should be music to the ears of Lakers fans who haven’t been totally overwhelmed by all the good news Davis has given them in the last 24 hours.
Because last summer, AD was on the way. Now it’s here to stay, and that’s a beautiful thing for this franchise.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast at iTunes, Spotify, Stapler or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.
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