Anthony Davis Signs 5 Year, $145 Million Contract Extension with Pelicans

Anthony Davis established himself as one of the NBA's pre-eminent superstars during the 2014-15 season, and the Pelicans rewarded those efforts on June 30 with a five-year, $145 million extension, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

Davis took to Twitter to announce the news as well:

ESPN's Marc Stein added, per a source, that "Davis' deal will have clause after Year 4 that allows Davis to return to free agency in summer of 2020 if he so chooses."

On June 29, John Reid of the Times-Picayune reported the Pelicans were expected to make "an assertive push to sign star power forward Anthony Davis to a five-year extension that exceeds $143 million starting on July 1."

Davis, 22, averaged an impressive 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 36.1 minutes per game this past season. The third-year superstar has continued to improve, too, increasing his averages in all three stats in each of his first three campaigns in the league.

The bigger question for Davis now is whether the Pelicans can build a championship-caliber roster around him. The team did make the postseason this year and has nice pieces, but Davis still needs help if the Pelicans want to take the next step toward a championship.