Ed Davis was one of the most consistent players for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Even though his minutes fluctuated throughout the season, he almost always made an impact, especially on the glass and with his shot blocking ability.
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Davis has made it known that he will opt-out of his contract in hopes of securing a long-term deal, but has also said he hopes to remain with the Lakers. According to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, Davis believes that will happen as long as everything is equal with other teams in free agency:
I’m going to test free agency,” Davis told The Times in a telephone interview. “Hopefully I’m back with the Lakers, as long as everything is equal with all the other teams.”
Davis added that starting isn’t the most important thing to him, and he will be happy as long as he is a big piece of the rotation via Pincus:
I feel I’m not really going to a situation where I want to start. I want to finish games. I want to be a key piece in a rotation,” he said. “I’m always going to fight to get the starting job. If I’m slotted to be one the first bigs off the bench, I don’t have a problem with that.”
It has been reported that the Lakers bringing back Davis will hinge on the ‘market value’ and Davis’ statements here basically mirror that. The Lakers want to bring him back, but only at the right price so if a team offers too much, he may be gone. Davis though, also said he wouldn’t chase money so it will be interesting to see what he winds up deciding.
Davis has definitely proven himself to be worthy of keeping around and if the Lakers are able to add a big-time center in the off-season to go along with Davis, Julius Randle, and Tarik Black, the Lakers could suddenly have one of the deepest frontcourts in the league.
[divide]2015 Lakers Exit Interviews: Ed Davis