Anthony Davis had the best possible start to life as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, as he and LeBron James won a championship in their first season together. Just a few months after winning that title in 2020, the Lakers rewarded Davis with a massive five-year, $190 million deal.
It was an absolute no-brainer at the time, but it has been a rocky ride since then as AD has dealt with injuries. Those injury concerns are precisely why the team wouldn’t want to give Davis an extension this summer, as per an NBA executive.
“They entered the summer with AD on the backburner,” one Western Conference exec told Heavy Sports. “They would like to keep it there, keep that extension on the backburner. They do not need to do it right away. I’d say they’re reluctant and you can understand that at this point.”
“They want to see if (Davis) can stay healthy,” the exec said. “They want to see if this group continues to be what it looked like it could be down the stretch last year. And most of all, they want to see what LeBron does next.”
AD would be eligible for an extension on August 4th and the max he could get is a three-year deal worth almost $170 million. The executive added that the best course of action would be to get Davis to agree on a contract that would be less than the max, considering the market for players with an injury history.
Davis has played just 132 out of a possible 236 games in the last three seasons and missed 28 games in 2022-23. Big men with injury issues don’t get healthier in their 30s and this three-year extension would see AD be 35 years old when his contract ends. The chances of him being a great player at that age seem rather slim.
LeBron’s future could play a role in this, too, as if he leaves, this team isn’t competing for titles. Still, it is doubtful that the Lakers, who are all about stars, would just let Davis go and start another rebuild.
Rob Pelinka Praised Anthony Davis
While this executive believes that the Lakers would be reluctant to give Davis an extension, their GM Rob Pelinka has been saying all the right things publically. He hailed AD as an incredible captain and leader while also giving him props for playing through injury in the playoffs.
Pelinka added that they love having Davis on the roster and it’ll be interesting to see what happens when he does become eligible for that extension. The 2022-23 campaign was certainly AD’s best since his first season with the Lakers, as he averaged 25.9 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 2.0 BPG. He showed just how impactful he can be, but the question is whether they can rely on him to stay healthy.
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