Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis agree to massive extension. Is this good for the franchise?
Following what can only be considered a disappointing season, the Lakers can take comfort in the fact that they’ve secured the services of one of their stars.
As one of the most recognizable sporting franchises on the planet, it goes without saying that the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to win. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case of late, however, having successfully negotiated an extension with Anthony Davis, things are at least going in the right direction.
Lakers and Anthony Davis agree to a huge extension
According to reports, the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a three-year, $186 million extension with Anthony Davis. It’s understood that Davis and the Lakers were permitted to officially open negotiations on Friday, after which an agreement was quickly achieved. With two years left on the existing deal that he had up to this point, Davvis will now be with the Lakers right up until 2028.
Of course, the 30-year-old is by far one of the Laker’s best players and quite frankly, one of the best in the league as a whole. If there is one catch where Davis is concerned, it’s been his struggles with injury. In the four seasons that he’s been in LA since 2019, Davis has been plagued by injury, such that he’s only managed to play 194 of a possible 307 games. Indeed, between Davis’ troubles and those of team talisman LeBron James, the Lakers have not coped well. Understandably, this has been hard for a team that won a title as recently as 2020.
Is this a good move for the Los Angeles Lakers?
That’s literally the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Truth be told, when we consider his injury issues over the last few seasons, Davis’ extension asks some very legitimate questions in terms of risk. On the other hand, to trade him, or even worse, let him go for nothing in free agency would be absolutely unthinkable when considering how good he is when healthy. As last season showed, the Lakers are a true threat when both Davis and James are healthy, which we saw plainly in their march to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets.
Yet, perhaps when it comes to Davis, this isn’t about short or long-term gain, but rather something much more important i.e., cover for the transition from LeBron James. Though he’s now the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, James will be 39 years old in December and is sitting on a contract that ends in 2025. Despite his seemingly superhuman abilities, James can’t play forever, meaning the Lakers will have to figure out a way to compensate for the inevitable. It goes without saying that Davis will be key to doing just that. Not only will his numbers help the team, but his star power will go a long way toward attracting other big names as well. As for right now, the Lakers have reinforced their roster with the addition of Gabe Vincent and Tarean Prince. Can they improve on what was a decent campaign despite their issues? Watch this space.