Do you think AD should re-sign long term with the Lakers?

[Shogon]

Regardless if they win the title this year or not, should he do it? Is it in his best interest if he wants to continue winning?

What does the Lakers future look like right now? They don't have any cap space to add anyone of significance in the "summer", LeBron & the other vets will all be a year older. Their young players are really Kuzma... and that's it... and Kuzma is overrated af. Caruso is only one year younger than AD, so he is who he is. They will have some options in the summer of 2022 I guess, but there's no telling where that leaves the roster at that point.

I don't think they have a particularly bright future, but then again, looking at the cap situation for other teams next season, I'm not sure where a good landing spot would even be? Miami perhaps? I don't know. None of the teams out there with the space really seem to be particularly appealing.

On a mostly unrelated side note... I wonder if he and Giannis and others have cost themselves a huge payday due to the timing of not signing earlier because of ratings tanking and because of no fans in attendance. Feel free to fill me in on this, anyone, as I don't know if the cap is 100% determined already or what.

[pandiani17]

He lives near the beach in a city with a great weather and plenty of events and is part of an organization that attracts the best players in the world every year. Why should he leave?:confusedshrug:

[Shogon]

He lives near the beach in a city with a great weather and plenty of events and is part of an organization that attracts the best players in the world every year. Why should he leave?:confusedshrug:

I'm not saying he should leave, but if you read past the thread title, which you clearly didn't, you would see that I made the point that the Lakers don't have a good roster two years out. Maybe not even next year. IDK. Anthony Davis is still in his prime and just now peaking.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Unfortunately LA wil always be the city most stars want to go to. If he's there and they have cap space they will get a superstar to come.

And on a side note they and he did a lot to engineer his arrival. If he leaves that's going to be a bit ridiculous.

[ImKobe]

Yes. Lakers ultimately give him the best chance for long-term success. Once Lebron's contract is up & he retires, more players will flock to the Lakers to join Davis, who will likely be a champion and Finals MVP by that time.

[ArbitraryWater]

Yes

But they should also package Kuzma in some trade for Beal or Booker..

The fact they didnt get a 3rd star like Kemba or Bojan Bogdanovic kinda sucked.

Maybe even Bogdan Bogdanovic would be of better use than Kuz I guess. And I like Kuz.

Make a play for Chris Paul

[Real Men Wear Green]

LA is not getting stars like Beal or Booker for Kuzma.

[Roundball_Rock]

He will be 27 next year so right in his peak years but that means he should start to decline in 3-4 years.

LeBron is still a top 5 player. How much does he fall off next year? It is possible LeBron can be top 5 next year again and be top 10 in 22' and 23' as well (it also is possible he falls off a one year cliff and goes from top 5 to 20th in one shot). By 24' Davis would be 30. If LeBron stays elite that long, Davis should have a chip somewhere during that window.

If LeBron was declining fast then it would make sense for him to bolt but where can he go to find a player better than this version of LeBron? Arguably the Warriors but would he be considered second fiddle to Curry? With LeBron it is inevitable he will surpass him, whether next year or the year after. Miami has no LeBron level player but has a good roster. He could be the #1 there but would Miami with AD be better than LA with AD? I don't think so, at least not as long as LeBron remains elite. Butler is 30 so he should start declining starting next year as well. Toronto has a good roster, he could be the #1 there--but leaving the Lakers for the Raptors? He would be going from the marquee franchise to a minor franchise outside the country. It would be harder to build a legacy on a team the U.S. media doesn't care about.

If he wins a chip this year he can think of other factors. LA still gives him the best bet to become a big star but maybe going to his hometown Chicago and reviving that franchise would intrigue him if he already has been to the chip mountaintop. I doubt it, though. If they win he likely will want to go for another one and have LeBron/Davis join Kareem/Magic, Shaq/Kobe, West/Baylor as iconic LAL duos.