After LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ Extensions, What Does The Future Look Like For The Lakers?

The Los Angeles Lakers have finally completed their Free Agency business. After bringing in Dennis Schroder via trade and Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, and Wesley Matthews via FA signings, they began the off-season with a bang. But the biggest question was when will Anthony Davis resign? After a lot of waiting, it has finally happened.

Davis has signed a five-year, $190 million deal to stay in LA till 2025. He also has an option to terminate his contract prior to the fifth season in 2024-2025. This deal comes just one day after LeBron James finalized his extension to stay with the Lakers till 2023.

There were rumors that they would adjust their contracts in a way to accommodate a third star in 2021. But according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, LeBron wasn’t interested in that.

What is in store for the Lakers in the upcoming seasons?

The 2020-21 season is going to be another contending season for them. They have one of the strongest teams on paper and are the favorites to repeat. The duo of AD and LeBron has proved to be the best duo in the league, and they have made the supporting cast stronger. So it will be a championship or bust season for them.

If they win, it will be their first back-to-back title since Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to titles in 2009 and 2010.

As for the 2021-22 season, the Lakers have AD, LeBron, Alfonzo McKinnie, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Marc Gasol guaranteed as it stands. Harrell has a player option, so he could either accept or reject and sign a longer deal if he wants to stay. They could resign their expiring players via bird rights and still be a contending team in 2021-22.

It could get tougher from here because the 2021 Free Agency is bound to create super teams. So the Lakers will have to be at their best to go for the title.

The Lakers cannot go after big free agents. But they could potentially pull off trades for them, for which they would have to use bird rights players and go into the luxury tax.

Will LeBron end his career in LA?

Then we enter 2022-23, which could be LeBron’s last season with the Lakers. Although he will be 38, the way he is aging now, he can coast through the season. Davis will be in his prime, and with a few capable players around, he can take them to the promised land.

The most exciting situation for LeBron would be in 2023-24 when his Lakers contract expires. There is a chance that he can team up with his son Bronny if the NBA changes its rules to allow high schoolers to directly enter the league once again. They can potentially become the NBA’s first-ever father-son duo.

On the other hand, AD will be the new face of the franchise and will be leading the team. So 2023-24 will be his first season at the Lakers without LeBron. That will be his chance to prove his leadership skills.

He has the option to stay till 2024-25, but he can terminate it as well. While there is nowhere ‘better’ he can go, there is a chance he goes to the Bulls to play with his hometown team.

Bottom line, these extensions put the Lakers in a contending spot for every season till 2024. The Lake Show will be eager to win as many rings as they can and assert their dominance as the best franchise in the league.

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