Anthony Davis Says Injury History Made Him Sign Long Term Deal

The Los Angeles Lakers’ faithful weren’t the only ones worried about Anthony Davis’ injury history when the franchise traded for AD during the previous offseason. It turns out that AD himself was thinking about that too.

When it was time to put pen to paper his decision to stay with the Purple and Gold after winning his first NBA title with the team last season, Anthony Davis picked the longest deal possible in case a serious injury would happen to him in the future.

Last Thursday, the 27-year old Davis signed a five-year deal worth $190M to return to the Lakers.

Anthony Davis has agreed to a five-year, $190M extension with the Lakers, per @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/vXYxwIkQ1i

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 3, 2020

During a video conference held last Friday, AD talked about the reason why he opted for the longest deal possible:

“That could have been a two-year, three-year deal. [But] I have to think about, also, the reality of things, too. I do have a little history with injuries, and a two-year deal, you kind of bet on yourself. … God forbid, knock on wood, something happens.”


Added Davis:

“I want to secure the most amount of years possible and be here long term with this team, so I thought the five-year deal was best for me in my situation.”

The 6-10 Davis could be considered injury-prone during his first seven NBA seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans. He played in only a total of 466 out of 574 possible games or missed a total of 108 games due to a myriad of injuries.

Last season, AD missed nine out of the Lakers’ 71 regular season games and played in all of their postseason matches. During the regular season, he was bothered by shoulder problems and tailbone injuries. After the Lakers’ win in the series-clinching Game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals, Davis revealed that he played through an ankle injury that required hours of treatment leading to the game’s tipoff.

Could Have Opted For A Shorter Contract

Under his new deal, Davis will make $32.7M during the 2020-21 season and he will receive an increase of 8% after every season. He will make $37.9M in 2022-23 and hit the $40M mark during his fourth season. If he picks up the player option for the fifth year, he will make $43M in the final year of the contract.

Anthony Davis’ contract will just keep getting better 📈 💰 @BobbyMarks42 pic.twitter.com/MqQe7jo2DE

— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2020

Davis could have opted for a shorter deal and earn more money. Had he signed a two-year deal, he could’ve become a free agent again in 2022 and be eligible for 35% of the team’s salary cap as a 10-year veteran instead of the 30% he is earning under his current deal. The difference between that short deal scenario and the one he signed last week would have been $4.7M.

But by sacrificing that $4.7M difference, Davis was assured of an estimated $90M in insurance money if in case something bad happens to him ( knock on wood). He also positioned himself to become a free agent after five years, when hopefully the league has gotten over the losses incurred due to the pandemic.

Lakers, AD Favored in 2021

The Lakers are the early betting favorites to repeat as NBA champions next season. With LeBron and AD returning to run it back, the Purple and Gold are on top of the latest odds board at +275. Giannis and the Bucks are a distant second at +600 while the KD and Kyrie-led Nets are currently listed at +650.

Odds to win the 2021 NBA Championship ~

Lakers +275

Bucks +600

Nets +650

Clippers +650

Celtics +1600

Nuggets +1800

Heat +1800

Mavericks +2000

76ers +2200

Warriors +2500

Raptors +2500

Rockets +6000

Wizards +10000

— BetOnline.ag (@betonline_ag) December 3, 2020

Davis is currently ranked sixth in the latest MVP odds board at MyBookie.ag at +900 with only Luka Doncic (+350), Giannis Antetokounmpo (+600), Steph Curry (+700), LeBron James (+750), and James Harden (+800) having better odds to win the Maurice Podoloff trophy next season. AD is also the odds on favorite to win the 2021 NBA Defensive Player of the Year at +240 at BetOnline.ag.

Veteran Lakers guard Jared Dudley recently said that Davis is “primed to win the MVP award next season.” Davis was demure when reporters asked him about Dudley’s comments. However, there is no question that the Lakers will go all out to win back to back titles with LeBron not getting any younger. To do that, they will need another herculean effort from Davis and this season, that might put him in the conversation to win individual awards as well.