NBA forward Anthony Davis is finalizing a maximum five-year, $ 190 million contract to stay with defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, Klutch Sports CEO and founder Rich Paul told ESPN.
The deal includes an early termination option before the deal’s fifth year in 2024-25, Paul said.
Davis, a free agent, is expected to sign the contract Thursday after considering various short-term and long-term contract scenarios before accepting a maximum offer of five years, the sources said.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Davis would earn $ 32,742,000 this upcoming season, $ 35,361,360 in 2021-22, $ 37,980,720 in 2022-23, $ 40,600,080 in 2023-24 and $ 43,219,440 in the fifth year of the deal.
At 27, Davis is the Lakers co-star alongside LeBron James, though he’s also the centerpiece of the franchise’s long-term future. Davis’ arrival after a trade with New Orleans to join James lifted the Lakers from six consecutive seasons in the draft lottery and launched them toward an eventual 2019-20 NBA championship.
For Davis, the new deal completes a journey that began in February 2019 when Paul asked the Pelicans to trade Davis. The highly successful deal with Los Angeles was executed in June 2019, their first NBA championship came in October, and now a five-year deal is in place to secure their future.
Davis’s deal comes as James extended his deal for two years to 2023-2024.
James and Davis had no problem coming together to form a partnership with the Lakers. Davis averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 50 percent from the court, 33 percent on 3 points and 84.6 percent from the free throw line, the best of his career.
“We don’t see this simply as a one or two year window,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said recently. “We want to remain competitive in the long term and make decisions that allow us to do just that and not just fire all of our bullets to try to defend ourselves for a year. We want to be in a position to be a sustainable contender.”
After seven seasons with the Pelicans, Davis was traded to the Lakers in June for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and multiple first-round picks and pick exchanges.
Before winning his first title, Davis was selected as the Western Conference All-Star for the seventh time. He won the game with two free throws created from a James pass. Davis finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Davis raised his performance in the postseason, averaging 27.7 points, with 57 percent shooting from the court and 38 percent from the three-point line, with 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals. Davis has begun to engrave himself in the tradition of the Lakers great men, a tradition that includes George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol.
While he never finished better than third in MVP voting in his career, his averages of 27.2 points and 11.1 rebounds over the past four seasons put him in the company of MVPs. Only Antetokounmpo and Russell Westbrook, the winners of three of the last four MVPs in this span, averaged more than 25 points and more than 10 rebounds in this time, according to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Info.
As devastating as Davis has been on offense, he has also proven to be a spectacular defender. Opponents shot 38% last season with Davis as the closest defender, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Of the 167 players who defended at least 500 shots last season, only Antetokounmpo allowed a lower percentage.
Note: Dave McMenamin, contributed to this report.
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