The Grizzlies surprisingly didn’t extend Ed Davis a qualifying offer, letting the 25-year-old become a restricted free agent.
He never meshed behind Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, but getting stuck behind a couple All-Star big men probably stunted Davis’ growth.
That won’t happen in Los Angeles, where the Lakers have just Julius Randle, Jordan Hill and Robert Sacre to play the 4 and 5.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Davis' deal is two years, $2M, with a player option on the 2015-'16 season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 17, 2014
Free agent forward Ed Davis has reached agreement on a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, league source tells Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 17, 2014
This is really nice value for the Lakers, who previously overspent on Hill and Nick Young. Davis is the type of young player with upside and a low price tag they should have been targeting all along.
Davis might even start in Los Angeles next season. With Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman departing and Ryan Kelly still a free agent, the Lakers’ are terribly thin up front.
If Davis is a stop-gap, that’s fine. That’s all he’s costing.
But he might develop into more – and that’s why the Lakers come out ahead on this deal.
