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00:02 This has actually been the slowest and least interesting free agency in the NBA
00:07 in many, many years.
00:09 But we did get a little bit of a blip last week,
00:12 as Anthony Davis has recommitted to the Lakers three years, $186 million.
00:18 And so those are the facts.
00:19 But when we look deeper into this, what does this mean, Gilbert?
00:22 He's gonna be a Laker anyway.
00:24 Does this mean he wants to retire as a Laker?
00:26 Does it mean that there's something going on with LeBron James,
00:29 that they wanna secure him for the next few years too?
00:31 What did you make of it when you saw this news?
00:33 >> I think secure is an important word to note there.
00:36 It means security for all parties involved.
00:39 Anthony Davis will be a Laker through at least 2027 and
00:42 probably through the 2028 season.
00:45 He's 30 years old, so still in the prime of his career.
00:48 You look at LeBron James, who could enter free agency next year, but
00:51 now securing Anthony Davis for a few more years,
00:54 along with guys like Austin Reeves and Rory Hachimura.
00:58 That gives the Lakers a little more of a clear identity and
01:02 direction if they're trying to make sure LeBron James wants to finish his career
01:06 with the Lakers.
01:07 So I think that the move to secure Anthony Davis is kind of a message to
01:11 LeBron James, who could enter free agency next year.
01:14 There's something good going on here.
01:16 If you want to win one or two more championships,
01:18 your best shot to do so is in Los Angeles.
01:20 >> Yeah, and I think so because, again, not a great regular season, but
01:25 the run that they made in the playoffs was definitely noteworthy as well.
01:29 Do you think that the Lakers, Gilbert, before we move on from them,
01:31 do you think that they're just equipped again to do the same thing?
01:35 I kind of feel like there are just some teams right now, Gilbert, in the NBA.
01:39 And very specifically, I think the Lakers are probably right at the top where
01:42 the regular season isn't really gonna mean all that much.
01:44 So it's really hard to look into the team until we get to after the new year.
01:47 >> It's interesting, you look back at the Lakers run to the conference finals and
01:52 honestly how they lost in the conference finals.
01:54 Those games were decided by a few possessions and
01:56 the Nuggets got a few lucky shots to go their way.
01:58 So the Lakers had a really good postseason and
02:01 they finished the season extremely strong.
02:02 Going into next season, there are a lot of teams in the Western Conference that have
02:06 a lot of questions facing them.
02:07 The Lakers are one of them, but most of their questions are health related.
02:10 We mentioned Anthony Davidson, we know that in the past he's had durability issues.
02:14 And LeBron James isn't getting any younger and
02:16 he's had his durability issues as well.
02:18 So I think the Lakers' priority, just like any other team, but
02:21 specifically for the Lakers, is to stay healthy throughout the season.
02:24 But I also think they're going to prioritize a top six finish.
02:27 I think they do want to avoid the play-in tournament by any means.
02:30 But after that, I think they taught themselves last year,
02:32 they learned last year that whether they finish third or sixth,
02:36 as long as they avoid the play-in tournament, home court advantage doesn't
02:38 matter that much for a veteran-laden team like the Lakers.
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