Anthony Davis has not yet signed his contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, and there is a theory about one of the reasons.
A report on Friday said that Davis would take his time before signing. The 27-year-old is eligible for a five-year max contract that would be worth $200 million. However, he could choose to sign shorter contracts that include opt outs. One of the ideas behind this would be to get to 10 years of service so that he is eligible to earn 35 percent of the salary cap. Davis has already played eight seasons.
However, there may be something else that is much more juicy going on.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst speculates that Davis may be waiting to see what Giannis Antetokounmpo does. Giannis is eligible for a max contract extension, and the Bucks reportedly are confident he will sign it. If Antetokounmpo declines to extend his contract this offseason, he would become a free agent next year. The Lakers reportedly have interest in pursuing Antetokounmpo and would need some flexibility to afford him.
LeBron James has a $41 million player option for 2021-2022 that he could decline in order to structure his contract to fit Antetokounmpo on the team. If Davis signed a one-plus-one contract that gave him a player option as well, the Lakers would have more flexibility.
A team featuring James, Davis and Antetokounmpo would be completely unfair and make the NBA even less competitive than when the Warriors had Kevin Durant. But apparently this is a possibility to keep your eye on.
