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Lakers News: Expert Waves Red Flag About Anthony Davis Extension

Could the mega contract backfire?

Matt Wagner

Lakers News: Expert Waves Red Flag About Anthony Davis Extension
Lakers News: Expert Waves Red Flag About Anthony Davis Extension /
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In case you missed it, the Los Angeles Lakers signed All-Star big man Anthony Davis to a maximum contract extension on Friday.

The extension is worth $186 million over three years, and ties Davis to Los Angeles through 2028.

Given Davis' production since he came to the Lakers during the 2019-2020 season, a max extension was both very well earned and inevitable. He helped lead Los Angeles to an NBA championship in his first year donning the purple and gold, and averaged a roughly 26 points and 13 rebounds per game last season in what was arguably his best season of his career.

But the reviews surrounding Davis' mega extension aren't all positive, as Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times voiced concern about the Lakers investing their future in him.

They just handed the franchise to a guy who often has been too brittle to hold it. They just tied their future to an anchor that has been known to drift. They just ensured that the face of their team is going to be … a wince? (via the Los Angeles Times)

Plaschke having concerns about Davis' injury history definitely isn't unfounded. Each of his last three seasons have been interrupted by injuries of varying severity.

But, when healthy, he's arguably the second-most dominant big man in the league behind only the Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic.

And given that Davis' superstar teammate LeBron James may very well retire or leave the Lakers within the next two seasons, locking up the 30-year-old Davis was crucial for the franchise.

And ultimately the front office would have two choices: they either sign him to that max extension, or risk seeing him leave the team at the end of next season.

That's a risk the Lakers couldn't afford to take, and banking on Davis remaining relatively healthy was the much better proposition in that situation.

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Matt Wagner
MATT WAGNER

Matt Wagner was born and raised in southern California, and he lived there before moving to Colorado and getting his B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2022. He relocated back to southern California in 2023 and is looking forward to covering the teams that mean so much to his home area. Some of his past work is in Bleacher Report, Dodgers Tailgate, and, most recently, Colorado Buffaloes Wire. Aside from writing, you can probably catch him petting the nearest dog or eating some good Mexican food.

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