Report: Anthony Davis to opt out of Lakers contract, will re-sign originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The biggest non-coronavirus question of the 2020-21 NBA offseason appears to be getting settled very quickly, as Anthony Davis will opt out of the final year of his contract with plans to re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a report from Shams Charania of the Athletic.
This is not necessarily surprising news, but it has major ramifications, as Davis just helped lead the Lakers to the NBA championship and would have been the top free agent on the market by a good margin. With him out of the mix, the top target for teams could be someone like Gordon Hayward or Montrezl Harrell.
Davis, 27, will now move forward chasing more rings alongside LeBron James. The opportunity he has to keep contending for titles after years of not having enough help in New Orleans made it seem very likely he would stay in L.A.
Davis is in about as ideal a situation as you can find in the NBA and the teams that have the cap room to afford him do not compare favorably to the Lakers. It seemed farfetched he would depart for the Knicks or Hawks, for instance.
How long Davis re-signs will be interesting, as where he plays will have a significant effect on the future landscape of the league. If he takes a short-term deal and can test free agency in the next few years, it will be something teams will have to keep in mind when planning for the future.
For now, it looks like Davis and James will run it back in hopes of a repeat.
