Anthony Davis has been the pillar of Los Angeles Lakers’ success ever since he joined the franchise in 2019. Along with LeBron James, he formed a formidable duo for the Lakers. This duo helped the iconic purple and gold franchise win their 17th title. Finally, in 2019-20, the James-Davis duo ended the title drought of the Los Angeles Lakers. Hence, the Laker’s front office was very happy to extend the contract of Anthony Davis as soon as he became eligible. After signing the contract extension, AD ensured that he would be part of the team for another five years.
Moreover, Anthony Davis got the richest maximum extension offer in the league’s history from the Lakers. He signed a three-year extension with the Lakers worth $186 million, which is the $62 million annual average value of the deal. Later, Rob Pelinka spoke about the signing with Spectrum Sportsnet, explaining what Jeanie Buss and Darvin Ham, along with him, wanted to know from AD. They are glad to know what it means to AD to be a leader of this franchise for such a long time.
Lakers Are Glad To Have AD Around For The Foreseeable Future
Rob Pelinka explained the basic conversation was about the character of Anthony Davis and how he treats his teammates. Moreover, the commitment of AD to be the hardest worker will help the Lakers establish their culture with it. The Lakers front office, including Buss, Pelinka, and Ham, was glad to know the desire of Anthony Davis to take on the leadership role and hang around even in the post-LeBron James era. But the Lakers must prepare to deal with AD’s injury issues. The Klutch Sports that connects Anthony Davis and LeBron James was glad about the contract extension as well.
Moreover, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul mentioned that the Lakers understand the work ethic of AD. He might have injury issues, but it did not bother the front office too much in the discussion. Rob Pelinka showed his excitement to know that they can build the team around Anthony Davis for a long time. Moreover, Locked On host, Brian Kamenetzky spoke about AD’s contract extension on the NBA podcast. He mentioned that the Lakers know they have a guy everybody would like to play alongside. Moreover, AD has a skillset that is easy to deal with.
Anthony Davis: The Savior Team Lakers Looks Up To
Since winning the title during the pandemic, the Lakers lost their grip on the championship. They faced several injury issues along with a lack of balance in their roster. It was not until the mid-season trades in 2023 the Lakers started looking like a worthy championship-winning side. But in late February, LeBron James sustained a severe injury, and he had to miss a month’s game time. It could have been fatal for the Lakers. But Anthony Davis rose to the occasion.
He led the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals. It was incredible because, at one point, it seemed impossible for the 17-time champions even to make the postseason. However, Anthony Davis might not have led the side to a title win last season. But it was apparent that he was among the best two-way players in the league. The eight-time All-Star was the anchor of the Laker’s defense as well as the spearhead of the team’s offense.
