LA Lakers Management working hard to keep Anthony Davis

The 2019-2020 NBA season is suspended indefinitely, with no clear indication on when it will restart. However, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Perlinka is still doing his job trying to build a championship team for the next few years. His top priority is keeping superstar Anthony Davis, whose contract will end this season.

Before the NBA games were suspended in March due to the coronavirus, the Lakers were leading in the Western Conference with a record of 49 wins and 14 losses. They were 5.5 games ahead of second placer Los Angeles Clippers. The only team they have to worry about is the Eastern Conference leader, Milwaukee Bucks, with a record of 53-12.

They will likely face each other assuming the Bucks don't lose out to defending champions Toronto Raptors in the conference finals just like last year. The possibility of repeating such a heartbreak for the Bucks is low, with Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard now playing for the Clippers.

In the regular season, the Bucks won against the Lakers 111-104 last December. However, their latest match-up a week before the suspension ended in a 113-103 Lakers victory.

Those are good indicators that the Lakers are a legitimate championship team. But with the league looking at all options, including cancelling the season altogether, the Lakers may lose the opportunity for another championship, especially if they lose Anthony Davis in their roster.

According to CBS Sports, Davis has a player option of "just" $28.7 million if he continues to play for the Lakers for the 2020-21 season. But the rumours in league circles expect Davis to turn down the player option in favour of an unrestricted free agency, and is willing to listen to a Lakers counter-offer first.

The problem is, with the league suspension, it meant that teams will shoulder tens of millions of dollars in losses this year. That would also mean that the salary cap for teams will take a steep drop. The NBA salary cap is determined by the league and team profits.

If the Lakers want to keep Davis, they would have to sell him non-monetary benefits to staying with the team. That includes his chemistry with superstar LeBron James on and off the court, a "front office partnership" that would allow Davis to have an opinion on the Lakers roster, and the potential for a championship ring.