Anthony Davis has helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals but that does not guarantee a contract extension.
All that matters right now is that the Los Angeles Lakers are in the NBA Finals. The Lakers completed their third consecutive gentleman’s sweep over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, shutting down any chance of Denver coming back from another 3-1 deficit.
LeBron James may be the face of the Los Angeles Lakers but Anthony Davis has absolutely been the best player for the purple and gold. LeBron got the spotlight for his incredible Game 5 performance but AD would be my Finals MVP if the team were to win the NBA Championship and play as they have been playing thus far.
Davis is averaging 28.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in the playoffs. He is averaging 1.2 blocks and steals per game. He has 3.3 win shares and is averaging .296 win shares per 48 minutes in the playoffs, both playoff highs.
Davis hit the clutch game-winner to put the Lakers up 2-0 and swung the entire series as a result. That shot seemed to be his welcoming party. The moment we would all remember as his true arrival to the Lakers, the team we hope he spends the rest of his career with.
Davis has a player option for the 2020-21 season and based on how happy he is in LA and the lack of fits outside of LA, many assume that he will sign a max extension after the season, win or lose in the NBA Finals.
That is not the case. In fact, I highly doubt that Davis signs that max extentsion.
Don’t worry, though — it is not a bad thing that he won’t sign that extension. There are two primary reasons for AD to not sign the extension yet, one for his own benefit and one for the benefit of the team.