Los Angeles Lakers May Come To Regret Signing Anthony Davis To $186 Million Contract Extension

The Los Angeles Lakers are signing Anthony Davis to a major contract extension.

As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are signing their 30-year-old big man to a three-year, $186 million contract extension. The extension will pay Davis $62 million annually, making him the highest-paid player in the NBA on an average annual basis. Davis’ new contract will kick in at the start of the 2025-26 season, which means he’ll be tied through 2028 in Los Angeles.

The move isn’t exactly surprising. Salaries are expected to skyrocket in the coming years and we’re just days removed from the Boston Celtics inking Jaylen Brown to a five-year, $304 million contract extension that will pay him nearly $61 million annually. That contract will begin during the 2024-25 season and extend into the 2028-29 season where he will top out at $65.6 million annually.

Although Brown is a proven All Star who has helped lead countless Celtics teams deep into the postseason, the move was a little bit of a surprise. Brown’s not considered a top 10 player, he’s not even the best player on his own team. That honor belongs to Jayson Tatum.

Even with skyrocketing salaries and a salary cap that is expected to approach nearly $150 million by the time the 2025-26 season rolls around, that’s an enormous commitment to an injury-prone star who will turn 33 years old during the first year of his new deal. By the time his contract expires, Davis will be 35 years old.

As Spotrac projects, Davis will earn $57.6 million during the 2025-26 season, $62 million during the 2026-27 season and $66.8 million during the 2027-28 season.

That means Davis will earn roughly 36.9% of the team’s salary cap in 2026, 36.2% in 2027 and 35.4% in 2028. Those percentages exceed Davis absorbing 29.9% of the team’s salary cap during the 2023-24 season and the 30.7% he took up during the most recent season. In fact, since joining the Lakers in 2019, Davis has never exceeded 31.5% of the team’s salary cap.

By the time new contract starts, there’s a good chance the 38-year-old LeBron James calls it a career. By that point in time, Davis will be the leading man in Los Angeles.

However, while Davis may still be a top 10 talent in this league at his advanced age, he’s never proven to be capable of leading a franchise as a title contender.

Prior to playing for the Lakers, the Pelicans advanced to the playoffs just twice, winning just one playoff series during his seven seasons in New Orleans. Davis’ injury history dates back to his New Orleans days, averaging just 67 games played per season during his seven seasons there. Since arriving in Los Angeles, Davis has been even more injury prone, averaging just 49 games played per season since 2019-20.

In other words, the Lakers are committing major money to a player who is off of the court as much as he’s on it and has yet to prove that he’s a franchise player capable of leading a team to a championship as the No. 1 option.

Yes, the Lakers will likely lure another star to Los Angeles once James retires. James has one year left on his deal with a player option, which means he could either retire, opt in, or bolt for another team where his son, Bronny, may land.

But while the Lakers may very well land a more viable No. 1 option to take the load off of an aging Davis, it still won’t make a difference if the big man is never on the court.

Due to Los Angeles’ surprising success this most recent season, the Lakers were forced into a corner. Allowing Davis to walk and not locking him on a long-term basis during the post-James era would be questioned. However, it would be a move very much justified considering his injury history and the fact that Davis will be 32 years old when his initial deal expires.

Instead, as the Lakers originally intended when they traded for Davis back in 2019, they’ll commit to the big man as the face of the franchise during the post-James era.

Despite their recent success, it may end up being a move that they regret down the road.