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The Los Angeles Lakers know they have a season-long job to do to convince Anthony Davis to stay during free agency, and general manager Rob Pelinka started quite early, checking in with Davis and LeBron James for confirmation on free-agent signings.
Davis told ESPN's Rachel Nichols the communication between him and the general manager was constant, even as frequent as every 30 to 45 minutes:
Nichols: How often did you, LeBron and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka talk on the phone during that crazy week of free agency?
Davis: Oh, all the time. It was, like, every 30 to 45 minutes, Rob would be callin' me.
Nichols: No, come on.
Davis: No, seriously. Rob would call me: “AD, what you think about him?” “All right, cool.” Right back, “AD, you know, this is what is going on with him.” “All right, cool. All right.” Sometimes I had to tell him, like, “Rob, I'm in the movies.” He'd be, like, “All right, well, call me as soon as you get out.” But we're trying to put the best team around us, and I think he did a great job of doing it.
While front-office executives often check in with their stars to see what kind of players they feel could best suit their game, to consult with them on nearly every signing surely goes above and beyond what most NBA suits are willing to do.
Yet Davis is a different case. He will become a free agent at the end of the 2019-20 season, and until that ink on his new contract dries, Pelinka and the rest of the front office don't want to take any chances.
