Free agent power forward Anthony Davis and agent Rich Paul have scheduled a meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, as relayed by Broderick Turner of the LA Times.
Davis opted out of his contract after the season to enter free agency. His plans to re-sign with the Lakers are well-documented. The length of his next deal is the uncertainty.
Training camp officially opens around the NBA on Tuesday, with teams permitted to conduct individual workouts for the first few days. Group workouts will begin at the end of the week.
Davis is 6-foot-10 and coming off his first season with LeBron James and LA, winning the championship on the Disney campus. Neither Davis nor the Lakers feel any urgency to have him back in camp right away, given that last season ended in mid-October.
Davis could potentially sign a two-year deal, with a player option for a third, in the neighborhood of $68 million. He could also sign a four-year deal (again including a player option at the end) for $106 million.
That’s not all.
He is also eligible to sign a four-year extension for close to $147 million, or a five-year contract for nearly $189 million.
All that’s really known is general manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers want to keep Davis for the long haul. He averaged a team-high 26.1 points and team-high 9.3 rebounds. He also averaged a team-best 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals.
Theoretically, Davis, James and the Lakers will be even better this season. They added forward/center Montrezl Harrell, center Marc Gasol, point guard Dennis Schroder and shooting guard Wesley Matthews in a variety of offseason moves.
Along with Davis and James, shooting guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Talen Horton-Tucker are Paul clients with the Lakers, as is Harrell.
