Anthony Davis has agreed to a five-year contract worth tens of millions of dollars with the Los Angeles Lakers just one day after they locked in superstar LeBron James with a two-year extension.
Davis’ contract is worth $190 million and comes on the heels of his first season in Los Angeles where he combined with James to lead the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship, the Los Angeles Times said.
On Wednesday, James’ agent said the NBA star agreed to a two-year, $85 million contract extension which would keep him with the team through 2023-24.
Together the dynamic duo lifted the hapless Lakers out of six consecutive seasons of turmoil and losing to form the centrepiece of the offence.
“In the Orlando bubble, Anthony Davis proved he is one of the game’s most complete and dominant two-way players,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “Now, Lakers fans get to watch AD continue to grow and lead our franchise for years to come. This is truly a blessed moment for Lakers Nation.”
The 27-year-old Davis spent seven seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans before being traded to Los Angeles in June 2019 for three players, including Lonzo Ball, and several draft picks.
Davis opted out of the final year of his contract to become a free agent in the days after the Lakers won the title in the quarantine bubble in Florida.
He can now make $43.2 million in the final year of his new deal. Davis chose the longest possible contract, but there is an opt-out clause after four years.
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.
Davis, who was the first pick in the 2012 NBA entry draft, finished runner-up to Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA’s defensive player of the year voting.
