1. Form a Superstar Duo…Somewhere

After playing with LeBron James and experiencing such significant success, Anthony Davis has been able to see how he can impact a team with another superstar talent. By signing a 1+1 deal with the Lakers, he’d be keeping his options open to forming a new duo after James is done.

The particular team that Davis could form a new superstar duo with doesn’t have to be a new one. The only player under salary for the 2021-22 season is James with a player option and the league salary cap is projected to rise to around $125 million. There would be significant salary-cap space for Davis to do some recruiting from that point on if he were interested.

It makes a lot of sense for Davis to try to bring another star talent to the Lakers as opposed to going elsewhere given the marketing power the Los Angeles market is already having on his brand. Being the face of the franchise after James departs would make that even stronger.

There is also a considerable financial incentive to consider for Davis when pondering whether to sign a long-term or short-term contract. He will be reaching his 10th season in the NBA next summer, meaning he can go from earning 30 percent of a team’s salary cap up to 35 percent.

By keeping his options open, Davis would be able to determine whether a long-term commitment with the Lakers is the way to go and could capitalize on a long-term deal at that point if he desires. In the meantime, he is maintaining the flexibility to avoid being placed in an undesirable situation.

Let’s not forget about the fact that while it’s highly unlikely, Davis could form a duo elsewhere with another superstar. Maximizing the title window with James makes the most sense but after that, either bringing another star to the Lakers or going to them maximizes his title window.