Ed Davis will opt out after season, hopes to sign with Lakers long-term
While it hasn't mattered a lick in the standings, one of the best signings of the offseason was the Los Angeles Lakers inking Ed Davis to a two-year, $2-million contract.
Davis has more than delivered on that salary this season, standing as perhaps the Lakers' most effective two-way player now that Kobe Bryant is on the shelf. Bouncing between starting and coming off the bench, primarily at power forward, the lefty is averaging eight points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 24.1 minutes.
He has a career-high 18.3 player efficiency rating and, on a percentage basis, is rebounding and shot-blocking in line with his career norms. This isn't a looter-in-the-riot scenario; Davis is playing well in an expanded role.
The Lakers can't expect to have him at such a discount next season. Davis told the Los Angeles News Group that he will opt out of the second year of his contract, forgoing $1.1 million to become an unrestricted free agent. The move makes perfect sense, as the 25-year-old should be set to cash in on his career year, earning an appreciable raise.
That doesn't mean he wants to ditch the forum blue and gold, as the Lakers remain Davis's preferred home:
I'm hoping for a long-term deal. I'd love to return here. I know this will turn around eventually.
This is definitely my first option. They're a team that gave me a look last summer when not too many teams were calling. This is definitely where I want to be at. Hopefully I can stay here for the rest of my career.
Those are boilerplate quotes for an impending free agent, and it's unclear if the Lakers make sense for Davis. The team owns a sizable option on Jordan Hill and has Ryan Kelly and Julius Randle under contract - plus Robert Sacre and Tarik Black on cheap, non-guaranteed deals - and may look to make a bigger splash in the post or look to hit on another Davis-like bargain.
In any case, this summer's market for Davis should be far more robust than the curiously tepid one a season ago.