The LA Lakers’ Anthony Davis recently signed a blockbuster 3-year deal which sees him become the highest annual earner in the league. Davis had previously signed a $189 million contract back at the start of the 2020 season. With the new extension kicking in only in 2025-26, Davis will enjoy five of the most lucrative years of his career in the coming time. Having earned almost $226,008,314 from his contracts thus far, he will be earning more than $250 million in the next 5 seasons, according to Sportrac.
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The new extension means that Davis is part of the LA Lakers’ long-term future. With LeBron James not expected to continue for the longest of time, AD can be expected to outlast the 5-time NBA winner. The amount of money he will be paid by the Lakers suggest that they believe AD is perfectly capable of leading them to multiple championship runs.
Anthony Davis to earn more in next 5 seasons with LA Lakers than entire NBA career thus far
Davis has earned a total of $226,008,314 via his NBA contracts thus far. This includes a $23 million rookie contract as well as a 5-year, $127 million deal he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Additionally, Davis will enter the 4th year of his contract with the Lakers in the coming season, which means he has earned slightly more than $100 million during his time with the franchise. The next two years represent the most lucrative two years of his previous contract.
.@damienwoody reacts to Anthony Davis’ new contract:
“Is he going to be consistent enough on the court to earn that $62M?” pic.twitter.com/TCX7Z7Gg0R
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 7, 2023
AD will earn more than $83 million, which will then lead to the 3-year, $186 million deal kicking in. This represents earnings of more than $260 million. Despite the player having player in the NBA for more than a decade (since 2012), he will earn more than what he has thus far in the next 5 years.
Davis’ 3-year extension represents obvious risk for LA Lakers
There is a potential benefit for the LA Lakers considering the broadcasting deal will kick in from 2025. That represents a huge potential rise in salary caps, which means the Davis extension might eventually look like a bargain.
At the same time, AD has become the highest-paid NBA player for now. The player has had consistent injury issues over the past few seasons which has hurt the franchise at crucial points of time.
With the amount of money the Lakers are spending, they obviously hope for a better impact, especially as far as the injuries as concerned. Overall, there is little doubt that the Lakers’ decision to splurge money on AD was a no-brainer.
