NBA All-Star Anthony Davis has re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for five years and $150 million a day after teammate LeBron James agreed to a two-year, $85 million extension that will keep him with the club through the 2022-23 season.
The contract includes a player option for the fifth season, allowing the 27-year-old Davis the choice of becoming a free agent in the summer 2024 or 2025, according to ESPN, which first reported the deal. Davis’s annual salary will rise from $32 million for the upcoming campaign to $43 million in 2024-25.
James, meanwhile, extended his contract on Wednesday while allowing himself the chance to become a free agent in 2023, when his son Bronny could be entering the NBA.
NBA All-Star Anthony Davis is reportedly returning to the Los Angeles Lakers on a five-year, $190 million maximum contract a day after teammate LeBron James agreed to a two-year, $85 million extension that will keep him with the club through the 2022-23 season
(Left) Anthony Davis and Agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who also represents LeBron James, attend The Los Angeles Dodgers Game at Dodger Stadium on August 20, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Right) James and Davis react after winning the NBA Title over the Miami Heat in October
Davis, acquired in July 2019 from the New Orleans Pelicans, opted out of the final year of his contract — worth $28.7 million — to become a free agent in the days after the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship in Orlando.
He was 10th in the NBA in scoring at 26.1 points per game and averaged 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 2019-20 with the Lakers. With the Pelicans in 2018-19, he averaged 25.9 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
The No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Davis spent seven seasons with the franchise before demanding a trade in January 2019 in hopes of being moved before the February trade deadline.
He was fined $50,000 by the NBA for his agent’s comments, which came after Davis made it clear he would turn down a max deal with the Pelicans in July 2019 — the timeline permitted under league rules — worth a maximum value of $240 million.
The new NBA season begins on December 22, when the Los Angeles Lakers will host their inner-city rivals, the Clippers.
LeBron James (left) has reportedly signed a two-year, $85 million contract extension with the defending-champion Los Angeles Lakers that will allow him to become a free agent in 2023, when his son Bronny (right) could be entering the NBA Draft
Source: Daily Mail
