Anthony Davis and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, have been on the record about his intentions as a soon-to-be free agent. The Los Angeles Lakers big man is expected to opt out of the last year of his contract and pursue free agency, even if he intends to remain with the Lakers.
Some NBA agents believe Davis will pull “a LeBron” and sign a one-and-one deal with the organization due to James' age, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. One agent specifically revealed he had heard about this possibility through the grapevine:
“I’ve heard that idea floating around, keeping him shorter term, because of LeBron’s age,’’ an NBA agent said.
The 35-year-old once pioneered the original one-and-one deal, which allowed him to maximize his flexibility while still receiving max money in each of his seasons played with the Cleveland Cavaliers after coming back from a four-year stint with the Miami Heat.
At first it was viewed as a feeling the waters-type commitment, given his previous nasty breakup with owner Dan Gilbert, but he did so for his entire four-year second tenure with the team, paving the way for others like Kevin Durant to take the same route (three one-and-ones with the Golden State Warriors).
That two-year contract with an opt-out after the first season would give Davis the choice to return to Los Angeles but also put him back in the market for 2021 when the New York Knicks could be bound for a splash with max cap space at hand.
Davis and James are represented by the same agent, but it's likely that they have shared and independent interests.
James is hoping to play long enough to get to play with his son in the NBA, and he's shown no signs of slowing down this season, playing in 41 of 43 games thus far.
Anthony Davis has a much longer career ahead of him. While he could take over as the new franchise player for the Lakers, that would highly depend on when and if LeBron James decides to retire in the next few years.
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