Los Angeles Lakers: Questions to answer once offseason arrives

3. Anthony Davis will re-sign, right?

Re-signing Anthony Davis is undoubtedly the top offseason priority for Los Angeles. Unfortunately, things aren’t as cut-and-dry as most fans would like them to be.

It’s unclear what the current COVID crisis will do to the 2020-21 NBA salary cap. Davis will be looking to sign a long-term max contract, but it’s worth keeping in mind that max contracts are based on a percentage of the salary cap. If the salary cap drops because of the delayed/adjusted/shortened season, it might not be in Davis’ best interests to ink a lengthy contract.

Instead, he could be forced to opt into his 2020-21 player option, which would pay him $28.7 million next year. While it’s a short-term hit to his bank account, it allows him to hit the open market in 2021, when the NBA’s salary cap will hopefully be on the rebound. Then, he’d be able to sign a long-term deal for much more money than may be available this upcoming offseason.

That lays out some of the potential scenarios this offseason could see unfold. However, the more important question is whether or not Davis wants to be a Laker long-term?

It makes sense that he would. The Lakers invested major assets to acquire him from the New Orleans Pelicans, and lining him up alongside LeBron James has worked out exceptionally well. Especially if they manage to win a title once the season restarts (assuming it does), there would be plenty of reason for Davis to want to stick around. It’s not like James is fading fast and the Lakers are soon set to crash and burn.

This is working. Davis knows it. Depending on how things play out, he may not sign a long-term deal right away. That being said, all signs point to him remaining a Laker for a long time.