A few moments right after NBA Free Agency kicked off at midnight, the New Orleans Pelicans made sure they locked up their superstar Anthony Davis for the next few years.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Pelicans and Davis agreed to a five-year, $145 million maximum contract extension. This was expected as reports surfaced after the Pelicans playoff exit that they wanted to keep Davis in New Orleans for many years to come.
Davis, who played like a MVP candidate this past season, help lead the Pelicans to the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-2011 season when they were still called the Hornets. The Pelicans were swept by the eventual NBA champs Golden State Warriors but Davis showed up and performed.
In the first round of the playoffs, Davis averaged 31.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.0 assists in 43.0 minutes per game. During the regular season, he also averaged a double-double with 24.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in 36.1 minutes per game.
With the Pelicans now locking Davis for the foreseeable future, the job of the front office is now to put more pieces around him to help him and the team to take that next step.
Finally, here is a little tidbit of info regarding Davis’ contract from ESPN’s Marc Stein.
Sources say Anthony Davis' deal will have clause after Year 4 that allows Davis to return to free agency in summer of 2020 if he so chooses
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2015
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