The Los Angeles Lakers finally inked their superstar big Anthony Davis to a contract extension on Thursday.
Davis and the Lakers have finalized a five-year contract worth $190 million to return to L.A.
Lakers and Anthony Davis are finalizing a five-year, $190M max contract, his agent Rich Paul tells @wojespn pic.twitter.com/NuwFKlYi7s
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 3, 2020
The contract comes one day after LeBron James signed a two-year, $85 million contract to stay with the team.
With these contracts, the stars have made it clear that they want to stay together and continue creating the Lakers’ dynasty.
The Davis contact was to the surprise of many, as he wasn’t expected to sign a longer-term contract.
After all, he could have taken a short contract to open the door for a Giannis Antetokounmpo signing.
Or, the shorter contract would have allowed him to sign for more money in a couple of years.
However, Davis had a logical reason for the security of a five-year deal.
Threat of Injury For Davis
When speaking to reporters, Davis referenced some injury history that pushed him towards a longer deal.
Prior to joining the Lakers, Davis missed a total of 108 regular-season games due to different injuries.
Here is a look at how many games Anthony Davis has missed each season of his career pic.twitter.com/FLz93NeaOx
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 4, 2020
With his size, athleticism and style of play, Davis can be susceptible to freakish injuries.
A good example of this was during his first year in the league, where a “stress reaction” in his ankle forced him to miss 11 games.
There is fear for Davis that a bigger injury could strike, which would be a devastating blow.
A five-year contract ensures that he will get this money regardless of an injury, not gambling with any “ifs.”
With all of this, it is not surprising that Davis opted for the longer contract.
One of the League’s Best
With Davis resigning, the Lakers are officially tied to one of the league’s best players for the next five years.
Since entering the league in 2012, he has slowly improved into one of the NBA’s most elite players.
He is a perennial 25-points, 10-rebounds per game player that can be one of the most difficult to stop on any given night.
In his first season with the Lakers, he led the team with 26.1 PPG and 9.3 RPG.
Anthony Davis already has a career’s worth of highlights with the Lakers and he’s just getting started. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/pKKudm4Lbl
— Hilltop Hoops (@HilltopNBA) December 4, 2020
His status as a two-way player is undeniable as well.
On the defensive side of the ball, Davis is one of the best big men in the league.
Last season, he ranked third in the league in blocks per game with 2.3 and 14th in steals per game.
He is a proven threat underneath the basket that defenders have to consider when driving to the hoop.
Besides his rookie season, Davis has averaged at least two blocks each game, forcing opposing teams to plan around his presence.
As it stands now, he is on track to go down as one of the league’s better all-time big men, and the Lakers were able to lock him up for the foreseeable future.
What The Davis Signing Means For The Lakers
For the Lakers, this signing is a statement that the team will be dominant for the next period of time.
With James and Davis, they have two of the league’s best and most talented players.
Now, with both under contract through at least 2023, the Lakers will not be going anywhere.
Anthony Davis' contract will just keep getting better 📈 💰 @BobbyMarks42 pic.twitter.com/MqQe7jo2DE
— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2020
They have become the pinnacle in the sport, and will now have a massive target as being the best team in the NBA.
While it was expected that Davis would resign with the team regardless, the length of the deal truly makes a statement.
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