Report: Pelicans' to offer Anthony Davis max contract; Davis anticipates 'tough decisions'
The New Orleans Pelicans plan to keep The Brow at all costs.
New Orleans will reportedly offer Anthony Davis a maximum contract this summer, a deal that can extend to five years and could top the $140 million mark, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
The exact amount the Pelicans can offer Davis will depend on how much the salary cap explodes in 2016, but the current estimate of the max for a player of Davis' service time is $143,577,500 over five years. Should the salary cap go higher than the projected $89 million for 2016-17, Davis' deal would rise accordingly.
In any case, Davis, who will almost certainly qualify for the "5th Year 30% Max Criteria" rather than the 25 percent max most players coming off their rookie scale contracts.
The two-time All-Star is eligible for a contract extension this summer, and when negotiations open on July 1, the Pelicans will reportedly present him with the largest possible offer they can. Davis would then have until Oct. 31 to decide whether he'll be New Orleans' designated 30-percent max player.
There's good reason for Davis to sign, as he won't be able to command more money as a restricted free agent in 2016, and he insures himself against any injury risk by signing early. The argument against signing the five-year maximum would be to maintain flexibility, something he may want to do with potential changes coming to the collective bargaining agreement in 2017.
"It's a business, so whether this July or next July or the July's down the road, it's going to come up," Davis said. "When that time comes, you are going to have to deal with it and make tough decisions."
It's no surprise the Pelicans want to hold onto Davis. The power forward put the team on his back all season, averaging 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.9 blocks while shooting 53.5 percent and 80.5 percent from the charity stripe. He then spent a tough first-round loss putting the world on notice that his reputation as the future of basketball will soon need to be shifted to the present overlord of basketball.
Although New Orleans was swept by the Golden State Warriors, the series wasn't all bad for Davis. He's just the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in his first four postseason games, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bob McAdoo, just the latest in the long list of elite groups he's joined at age 22.