For the first time in Anthony Davis’ five-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team has the opportunity to really optimize its front court.
On Saturday, June 29, LeBron James opted out of his contract’s final year and will now seek a three-year extension worth more than $160 million. Following his mid-2010s stint with the Miami Heat, in which he took less than the maximum contract to form one of the NBA’s first super teams, James stated that he would never return a dollar to any team for the rest of his career.
However, time and competition can change things, and James, now 40, appears to have reconsidered his position. On Saturday, James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, voiced his client’s current thinking.
“He is prioritizing roster growth,” Paul told Dave MecMenamin of ESPN. “He’s been adamant about putting forth all efforts to improve the roster.”
But James isn’t willing to give up millions for anyone.
“The type of player that James would be ready to make a financial sacrifice for would be an established experienced playmaker such as James Harden or Klay Thompson, or an established big man to play with Anthony Davis — such as Jonas Valanciunas,” McMenamin said.
Lakers May Be Able to Add 2 Starters to Lineup Via Free Agency, Trade Markets
The Lakers are looking for big-game players this summer now that D’Angelo Russell has opted into his contract and the team has his almost $19 million salary in 2024-25 to use as the foundation for any number of trades for first- or second-tier stars across the league.
Russell, combined with a couple of first-round picks in 2029 and 2031, as well as a few pick swaps in the coming years, could allow the Lakers to remain competitive in the trade market this summer or before the trade deadline next season. That move, however, might be wholly independent from the signing of a quality starter through the league’s regular mid-level exception (MLE), which the Lakers may use depending on how James agrees to structure his next (and likely final) contract.
Hoops Hype predicts that the MLE will be just shy of $13 million for the upcoming season. That figure would not even represent a significant step down for Valanciunas, who is an unrestricted free agent after finishing out a two-year, $30.1 million contract with the New Orleans Pelicans last year.
Jonas Valanciunas Can Make Life Easier for Lakers Big Man Anthony Davis
Valanciunas stands 6-foot-11, weighs 265 pounds, and will be 32 years old during the 2024-25 season. Last season, he averaged 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 23.5 minutes per game for the Pels, according Basketball Reference.
Despite playing somewhat less than half of each game on average, the big man made every start in 82 games. In reality, Valanciunas has played at least 70 games in eight of his twelve professional seasons, with at least 80 appearances on four occasions.
Given Davis’ injury history over the last half-decade in Los Angeles, that type of durability at the center position may be significant for the Lakers next season. Perhaps more crucially, the presence of Valanciunas in the lineup would allow Davis to play power forward for extended stretches, which has always been his favored position in the NBA.
“[Davis has] played center for the past several seasons, but the Lakers won a championship with him at power forward, and adding a burlier big man would help protect him from some of the most physically demanding center matchups of the regular season,” Sam Quinn of CBS Sports wrote on June 29. “Playing two big guys together would limit the team’s spacing to some level, but Valanciunas is a lifetime 34.8% 3-point shooter who averages 1.6 attempts per game as a Pelican.” That number needs to be raised slightly, but he is at least willing to fire when the opportunity arises. “That is a start.”
