Anthony Davis' Next Goal Will Be NBA Season MVP Award, Says Teammate

KEY POINTS

Anthony Davis opts for a long-term deal
Teammate believes Davis will aim for his first season MVP award
The Lakers seem to be open to adding more talent to their loaded lineup

The stage is set for the Los Angeles Lakers after sealing the deal with Anthony Davis.

Davis agreed to a five-year $190 million deal with the purple and gold which includes an early termination option to the fifth year by 2024-25 according to agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.

The 27-year-old was facing different short and long-term scenarios with the Lakers before deciding on the five-year deal, ESPN reported.

Davis would make $32,742,000 this season, $35,361,360 in 2021-22, $37,980,720 in 2022-23, $40,600,080 in 2023-24 and $43,219,440 in the fifth year of the deal.

With an NBA title tucked under his belt, Davis is expected to have another goal in mind. With a colorfully decorated resume, one accolade missing is a season MVP award.

His new deal likely includes a bonus if he does achieve the feat. One person who strongly believes this will be among his goals is teammate Jared Dudley.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Dudley said that he expects Davis to go for the MVP via Twitter. Last season, the former top pick finished outside the top five in the voting and was runner-up to eventual MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Davis also has the numbers to show. Last season, “The Brow” played in 62 regular-season games and averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 34.4 minutes of action.

Aside from that, he also normed 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals. Those stats alone show that Davis was a big help on both ends of the floor for the Lakers and contributed to their title conquest.

“Now, Lakers fans get to watch A.D. continue to grow and lead our franchise for years to come,” Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka said. “This is truly a blessed moment for Lakers Nation.”

With Davis and LeBron James inking new deals, all hope of possibly adding Antetokounmpo next season have been shelved.

Though the “Greek Freak” has yet to sign a supermax deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Lakers have lost all potential financial flexibility with the two deals.

Regardless, they already have a loaded roster to use for the 2020-21 season. New faces in the fold include Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, Wesley Matthews and Marc Gasol, a big improvement from the last NBA season.