Lakers Rumors: Anthony Davis declines four-year extension

Recent Lakers rumors are that Anthony Davis has declined a max offer made to him by the Los Angeles Lakers.

As we approach the NBA Trade Deadline with the season rolling on, there have been a good amount of Lakers rumors starting to surface. For the Lakers, most of these rumors have been about ways they will be trying to strengthen their roster.

However, recent Lakers rumors are that Anthony Davis has turned down a four-year max extension with the Lakers. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that Davis turned down the Lakers’ offer. Here’s what he had to say.

"The Lakers offered their star forward Anthony Davis a four-year, $146 million max extension on Tuesday, but they were informed that he will be bypassing an in-season extension in favor of entering unrestricted free agency in July, league sources told Yahoo Sports."

This should come as no surprise for either side. The Lakers of course had to make the offer to Davis to optimize their salary cap situation. For Davis, he can make more money in the offseason by declining his player option.

While Davis did decline the option, it is widely believed that he will not be going anywhere this summer. The Lakers are off to a very strong start this season with Davis, and he is playing at a very high level.

So far this season, Davis is averaging 27.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. There was certainly a lot of pressure and expectations for Davis coming to Los Angeles, however, he has met all of them so far. With the Lakers being one of the best teams in the league, it would take something crazy to happen to make Davis want to leave.

While the news that Davis turned down this deal might be concerning for some, it was certainly in his best interest to do so. Davis will be making a lot more money by doing so, and getting that 5-year super-max contract is what he deserves.

Davis would certainly be the top free agent this summer, but it doesn’t appear like he will truly be available this offseason. Barring a change, Davis should still be signing with the Lakers this summer.