Someone close to Anthony Davis reportedly says Lakers just have to not ‘f--- it up’ to keep him in free agency

The Lakers may have lost their regular season opener to the Clippers on Tuesday, but outside of that, the Anthony Davis era in Los Angeles has gone swimmingly so far.

There’s no drama in the locker room with his teammates, he seems to be getting along with his new head coach, Frank Vogel, and the front office seems to be on the same page for the first time in several years.

As long as none of that changes, it sounds like Davis is pretty much expected to re-sign when he hits unrestricted free agency in 2020, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic:

As one person close to him said when asked to explain how people should see the Lakers’ chances of retaining Davis here, “Just don’t fuck it up.”

Translation: They’re all alone in pole position, but you still have to get it over the finish line without the car going up in flames. And considering the Lakers are coming off a season that included an epic level of dysfunction and led to Magic Johnson’s bizarre exit, the notion that the tires might come off again should always be taken into consideration.

It’s safe to assume the Lakers have been given that impression from Davis and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports — who also represents LeBron James — as well, otherwise it would be hard to justify the team giving up the monster package that they did for Davis’s services. I mean, Paul’s maneuvering is ultimately why the Boston Celtics didn’t go all-in for Davis this past summer.

A lot can change over the course of an 82-game season, but the Lakers seem committed to making Davis as comfortable as possible, whether that’s through featuring Rajon Rondo in the rotation, keeping DeMarcus Cousins on the roster despite the fact that he’s been ruled out for the season or employing two centers so he can play power forward. As long as they can stay competitive while doing all of that, it appears Davis should be wearing a Lakers uniform for years to come.

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