The Los Angeles Lakers have a huge decision to make in the weeks ahead as they contemplate Anthony Davis' future with the franchise.
Davis is entering the final year of his contract before a $43million (£33m) player option in 2024/25, and the Lakers have doubts about whether offering a maximum extension worth a huge nine-figure sum is the right move for the franchise. The Lakers traded a huge haul of players and picks to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 to acquire the former No.1 overall pick, and they were immediately rewarded with Davis and LeBron James leading the Lakers to the NBA title in the covid-affected 2019/20 season.
Since then, the 29-year-old has faced a series of injury problems and has played only 130 regular season games over the course of the past three campaigns. When Davis has been on the court, he has been hugely influential for the Lakers on both ends of the floor, averaging 26 points per game in season 2022-23, and he was the team's leading performer in the postseason, which ended in the Western Conference Finals with a sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
Given Davis' injury record and the uncertainty surrounding James' future – he has indicated he wants to play with his son, Bronny, when he is expected to enter the league in the 2024 draft – the Lakers have mixed feelings over how to proceed, with Heavy Sports reporting the organisation is taking its time before deciding what to do with Davis' contract.
“They want to see if (Davis) can stay healthy,” an unnamed NBA executive told the site. “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." The decision for Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka might have been much more straightforward had the team not turned its fortunes around so spectacularly last season.
After a 2-10 start to the campaign, it seemed certain the LeBron era in Los Angeles was coming to an end and a hard reset was on the cards, but a series of shrewd moves at the trade deadline plugged gaps in the roster and the Lakers were among the best teams in the NBA in the closing months of the season.
Despite a resounding defeat to the Nuggets in the conference finals, the Lakers were among the league's top teams by the end of the campaign, but the team is built on fragile foundations with Davis' injury record and James' potential departure next summer.
Pelinka will have to decide whether he believes it is right to invest a three-year max contract worth $170m (£132m) in Davis considering the highly unpredictable future awaiting the team. The Lakers have until August 4 to tie up a contract extension with Davis, or he will enter the final year of his deal before his future is entirely in his hands with his early termination option next summer.
