Anthony Davis: Stays (but does not sign an extension)
We saved the biggest player for last and we had to include him in this article as he does have a player option after this season. After winning an NBA Championship and seeing how genuinely happy he is in Los Angeles, it feels like almost a foregone conclusion that AD will go down as the next Laker great.
However, I do not think that Davis signs an extension with the team after this season. We explained, in-depth, why Davis has more reasons to not sign an extension than to sign an extension in this article.
Don’t worry: it is a good thing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Davis not signing an extension is better both for him financially as well as the Lakers’ long-term plans. Sure, if things blow up he could leave after the 2020-21 season but they won’t blow up.
I genuinely give it a zero percent chance that Davis plays elsewhere next season — there is nowhere for him to go. No other contender has the cap space to bring him in, besides Miami, who have Bam Adebayo.
He is not going to Chicago. He is not going to leave a contending team that he seems to genuinely enjoy to go play home. That is something he can do later in his career and can conspire with other stars to actually join a good team.
I think there is a 70% chance that Davis spends the rest of his prime with the Los Angeles Lakers and a 100% chance that he is in LA next season.
So don’t worry, Laker fans — the Los Angeles Lakers will be in a great position to go back-to-back.