Anthony Davis wants to be under the bright lights of Hollywood once more. That is what the latest chatter surrounding the future Hall of Famer is suggesting. Scott Kaplan shared speculation that the former Los Angeles Lakers big man may want to remove the 'former' from that title.
There is reason to like the idea of bringing back Davis. AD is still playing like a star. The Washington Wizards big man is averaging 23.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks on shooting splits of 50-35-83. That is strong production.
The main problem here is the money. Davis is making $54.5 million this season. The star big man will have that number bounce up to $62.7 million in 2027-28 if he picks up his player option. Those are not cap figures the Lakers can afford to bring him in on.
The only circumstances under which the Lakers could truly entertain a reunion with Davis would involve him taking a sizable pay cut to join them in free agency during the 2028 offseason. For far less money, bringing him back could make sense. How likely is that to happen, though?
Lakers are not breaking up their main trio to absorb Anthony Davis's cap hit
Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler have the top of the Lakers' cap books locked up. Los Angeles would have no reason to break up that trio for the addition of Davis.
In a limited sample size of nine games and 188 minutes together, the Doncic-Reaves-Kessler trio is returning ridiculous lineup data success. That three-man combination has an offensive rating of 131.5 and a defensive rating of 105.8. It puts their net rating at an absolutely wild mark of 25.7.
Those numbers are bound to normalize as the season goes on. However, the point is the Lakers have a foundation they can believe in. They are young and match each other's timelines. Davis is 33 years old now and does not warrant any of them being sacrificed for his current financial commitment.
Lakers would need Anthony Davis to be additive money on the books
If the Lakers intend to continue operating as a team under the first apron, they could attempt to bring back Davis in a sign-and-trade, or with any potential exceptions they may have access to during the summer they are trying to add him. Either of those paths would involve a significant decrease from what he is currently earning.
In short: Davis would no longer be getting paid like a star. It would be nothing near that. Depending on how well the aging big man holds up between now and then, the Lakers could still entertain a modest figure for him. It just would not be at a price close to the max contracts he has previously enjoyed.
Is Davis willing to stomach that kind of decrease for a return to Los Angeles? That is tough to predict. Ultimately, it would be the only real way for the Lakers to see the reunion as mutually beneficial for their Doncic timeline, though. They already proved willing to move on from Davis otherwise.
Add us as a preferred source on Google