In a move that surprised almost nobody, Los Angeles Lakers’ All-Star Anthony Davis decided to reject his $28.7 million player option for the 2020/21 NBA season. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Davis plans to sign a new deal with the Lakers soon.

Davis has player option thanks to his five-year, $145 million contract extension that he signed with New Orleans Pelicans back in 2015. However, it doesn’t make sense for the 27-year-old player to use this right, as he can get a max contract from the Lakers right now.

Charania adds that Davis and his agent Rich Paul will meet with Lakers’ brass in the following weeks in order to work out all the details of the new deal.

While Anthony Davis can take offers from other teams, he isn’t expected to entertain any other offers as he just won an NBA title in purple and gold. Also, the Lakers can offer him a five-year, $202 million contract, while the maximum another team can go is four-years, $140 million.

Davis isn’t locked to ask for the biggest deal he can get from the Lakers. He might opt to do a short-term deal that lines with the expiration of fellow All-Star LeBron James’ deal after 2021/22 and take it from there.

Davis came to LA in a blockbuster trade that saw Lakers send young players Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, alongside three first-round draft picks, to Pelicans in exchange. However, it paid off so far. Kentucky product helped the franchise to record-tying 17th NBA championship while averaging 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game.

The post Anthony Davis Will Reject His Player Option, Plans to Sign a New Deal with Lakers appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 102-96 in Game 4 of the NBA finals and are now one win away from securing the franchise’s first title in a decade.

Anthony Davis had 22 points, nine rebounds, and four assists for the Lakers, hitting a three-point dagger with 39.5 seconds left to seal the win for Los Angeles. Lebron James casually added 28 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists to help give the Lakers a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Lakers had a complete game and looked focused, with nearly everyone in the starting lineup contributing. Danny Green added 10 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored another 15.

Miami was once again led by Jimmy Butler, who scored 22 points. They got 21 points from rookie Tyler Herro, 17 from Duncan Robinson, and 15 from Bam Adebayo, who didn’t look fully healthy after missing the last two games with a neck injury.

Butler must now rally the Heat and try to put together three straight wins if they want to complete an improbable upset.

Los Angeles and Miami will have a few days off to prepare for Game 5, which will be played on Saturday.

The post Los Angeles Lakers Take Game 4, Now One Win Away from NBA Title appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Great players show up when their teams need them most. And that’s exactly what Miami’s Jimmy Butler did against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA finals.

The Heat was not only down 2-0 in the series but was also missing Goran Drazic and Bam Adebayo, two of their most important starters. But in Game 3, all they needed was a brilliant performance from Butler, who recorded a triple-double with 40 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds.

Butler has shown during these playoffs that he plays best when his team’s back is up against the wall. Down 2-0 in the finals was the perfect time for him to prove it again, lifting the underdog Heat and leading them to the near-perfect game they needed to take a game from the star-studded Lakers, led by Lebron James and Anthony Davis.

The Heat won 115-104, avoiding the sweep and giving the team a renewed sense of confidence.

Butler played an incredibly physical game that saw him scoring almost all of his points from the interior. He was able to score 40 points without attempting a single three-pointer and shooting only two shots all night from beyond 15 feet.

Miami still isn’t sure whether they will have Dragic or Adebayo back for Game 4 on Tuesday, but if Butler keeps playing the way he did in Game 3, they might not even need them to tie up the series at two games apiece.

The post Jimmy Butler’s Monster Game 3 Cuts Lakers Lead to 2-1 appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

In a move that surprised almost nobody, Los Angeles Lakers’ All-Star Anthony Davis decided to reject his $28.7 million player option for the 2020/21 NBA season. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Davis plans to sign a new deal with the Lakers soon.

Davis has player option thanks to his five-year, $145 million contract extension that he signed with New Orleans Pelicans back in 2015. However, it doesn’t make sense for the 27-year-old player to use this right, as he can get a max contract from the Lakers right now.

Charania adds that Davis and his agent Rich Paul will meet with Lakers’ brass in the following weeks in order to work out all the details of the new deal.

While Anthony Davis can take offers from other teams, he isn’t expected to entertain any other offers as he just won an NBA title in purple and gold. Also, the Lakers can offer him a five-year, $202 million contract, while the maximum another team can go is four-years, $140 million.

Davis isn’t locked to ask for the biggest deal he can get from the Lakers. He might opt to do a short-term deal that lines with the expiration of fellow All-Star LeBron James’ deal after 2021/22 and take it from there.

Davis came to LA in a blockbuster trade that saw Lakers send young players Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, alongside three first-round draft picks, to Pelicans in exchange. However, it paid off so far. Kentucky product helped the franchise to record-tying 17th NBA championship while averaging 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game.

The post Anthony Davis Will Reject His Player Option, Plans to Sign a New Deal with Lakers appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 102-96 in Game 4 of the NBA finals and are now one win away from securing the franchise’s first title in a decade.

Anthony Davis had 22 points, nine rebounds, and four assists for the Lakers, hitting a three-point dagger with 39.5 seconds left to seal the win for Los Angeles. Lebron James casually added 28 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists to help give the Lakers a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Lakers had a complete game and looked focused, with nearly everyone in the starting lineup contributing. Danny Green added 10 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored another 15.

Miami was once again led by Jimmy Butler, who scored 22 points. They got 21 points from rookie Tyler Herro, 17 from Duncan Robinson, and 15 from Bam Adebayo, who didn’t look fully healthy after missing the last two games with a neck injury.

Butler must now rally the Heat and try to put together three straight wins if they want to complete an improbable upset.

Los Angeles and Miami will have a few days off to prepare for Game 5, which will be played on Saturday.

The post Los Angeles Lakers Take Game 4, Now One Win Away from NBA Title appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Great players show up when their teams need them most. And that’s exactly what Miami’s Jimmy Butler did against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA finals.

The Heat was not only down 2-0 in the series but was also missing Goran Drazic and Bam Adebayo, two of their most important starters. But in Game 3, all they needed was a brilliant performance from Butler, who recorded a triple-double with 40 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds.

Butler has shown during these playoffs that he plays best when his team’s back is up against the wall. Down 2-0 in the finals was the perfect time for him to prove it again, lifting the underdog Heat and leading them to the near-perfect game they needed to take a game from the star-studded Lakers, led by Lebron James and Anthony Davis.

The Heat won 115-104, avoiding the sweep and giving the team a renewed sense of confidence.

Butler played an incredibly physical game that saw him scoring almost all of his points from the interior. He was able to score 40 points without attempting a single three-pointer and shooting only two shots all night from beyond 15 feet.

Miami still isn’t sure whether they will have Dragic or Adebayo back for Game 4 on Tuesday, but if Butler keeps playing the way he did in Game 3, they might not even need them to tie up the series at two games apiece.

The post Jimmy Butler’s Monster Game 3 Cuts Lakers Lead to 2-1 appeared first on toppoptoday.com.