Lakers Rumors: Latest on Anthony Davis Contract, Dennis Schroder Trade, More

The Los Angeles Lakers got their man when they acquired Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans last summer, but they also took on some risk.

Davis had a player option for the 2020-21 season. The pressure to win immediately was likely being emphasized by LeBron James and Co., but there was the added incentive of making Davis feel like L.A. could be his long-term home.

The Lakers overcame the death of a franchise icon in Kobe Bryant and a long hiatus to win the NBA title, with Davis becoming a champion for the first time in his career. Now, GM Rob Pelinka will do what he can to sustain this success. He has already started, with the Lakers making a move for a certain point guard Sunday. But the central focus is keeping Davis in town.

Here is the latest on The Brow and how Pelinka is looking to upgrade the roster this offseason.

AD Declines Player Option

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Realistically, Davis was always going to opt out of his contract for next year.

The 27-year-old is one of the best big men of this generation, and while more than $28.7 million is a nice sum of money, it does not reflect Davis' worth in today's NBA.

Thus, Davis has indeed declined his player option, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

It makes sense for Davis to opt out and cash in on his success. Plus, it gives the Lakers another reason to sign him to a long-term deal to keep his partnership with James going. Make no mistake, L.A. is all but guaranteed to re-sign Davis.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported the Lakers will present "several options" to Davis and his camp so as to gauge his preferences. The options are likely to reflect the life of Davis' next deal, which could coincide with when LeBron becomes a free agent.

LeBron and AD formed quite the superstar tandem this past season, and their joy in playing together was personified by James wrapping Davis in his arms in the closing seconds of Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

James has a player option for the 2021-22 season, so it is possible Davis could sign a one-and-one deal so as to enter free agency the same summer as LeBron.

Then again, Davis could also decide he wants to be the face of the franchise once James departs L.A. He would be a strong foundation considering he is only just entering the prime of his career.

Regardless of its length, Davis is sure to see a sizable increase in salary once his new deal is finalized.

Lakers Acquire Schroder from Thunder

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

While inking Davis to a new deal is an internal priority, the Lakers have already been active in bolstering the roster for next season.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Sunday reported that Los Angeles and the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed in principle to a deal that would send Danny Green and the 28th pick in Wednesday's draft to OKC in exchange for point guard Dennis Schroder. The deal can be finalized after the draft on Wednesday night.

The Lakers always seemed likely candidates to acquire a point guard. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported that the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks are expected to pursue Rajon Rondo after the veteran declined his player option Sunday. Rondo could nab a decent contract after his showing in the playoffs, and the Lakers are a bit hamstrung for cash.

Thus, instead of possibly getting into a bidding war to re-sign Rondo, Pelinka adds insurance by bringing Schroder into the fold.

The 27-year-old was a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year Award after averaging 18.9 points, 4.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds with the Thunder. Schroder shot a career-high 38.5 percent from beyond the arc, and he also had big scoring spurts in the playoffs.

Granted, Schroder offers a different feel from Rondo. Whereas the latter is a pass-first point guard, the German is a pure scorer. But they share similarities in that they both excel in pick-and-roll, and Schroder is tremendous at getting into the paint and scoring at the rim.

The Lakers desperately needed a shot creator to complement James, and Schroder has plenty of it in his bag. There is no guaranteeing his success from three-point land will carry over to next year given his 33.7 percent career mark from deep. Still, he fills a big void in L.A.'s backcourt.

Lakers Showing Interest in Wesley Matthews

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Rondo is not the only one headed for free agency. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is opting out, and Avery Bradley could soon follow.

Given the uncertainty of the market, as well as Green's departure, the Lakers will be mulling over wing players—and possibly cheaper ones at that.

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported L.A. is interested in signing Milwaukee Bucks wing Wesley Matthews, who is expected to decline his own player option.

Matthews was a three-and-D guy for the Bucks last year, much as Green was for the Lakers. The 34-year-old shot 36.4 percent from beyond the arc on 4.4 attempts per game and also ranked second in defensive rating (min. 30 games played and at least 15 minutes per game), per NBA.com.

The 11-year veteran can guard multiple positions and could be a reliable floor-spacer given how both LeBron and AD control the paint.

It remains to be seen what Matthews' market will look like and whether the Bucks are intent on re-signing him, but the Lakers are considering pursuing him to fill Green's old role.

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference, unless otherwise noted.