ESPN FIRST TAKE | LAKERS NEWS TODAY | STEPHEN CURRY AND LEBRON JAMES | LAKERS NBA NEWS #lakersnews

till 2027 the deal is worth a reported 62 million in change it means the four-time NBA champion will be guaranteed 178 million over the next three years Stephen Curry has ended speculation over his future by signing a one-year contract extension with the Golden State Warriors until years Curry passes 500 million plus and career earnings on the court joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant because of the over 38 rule the one-year extension is the maximum that Golden State could offer now this is really exciting where is my guy there he look at how Dapper now this man knows how do to First Take look at the suit the haircut just he's he's always ready I have to I have to take credit I have to because he was coming here with just a college shirts no tie anything and I had to get on him and ever since then he has upgraded people have said he looked like a politician he looks such so astute like a Statesman everywhere he goes he was representing the United States of America in Paris just as much as the athletes were for crying out loud Wendy was everywhere he was everywhere great job by the way God St somebody given Stephen a credit thank God we don't have enough Stephen G credit so thank God I know seriously absolutely but Wendy we'll get into it but you look relaxed I'm glad you got to see your family they remembered who you were and uh because we'll be ramping things up pretty soon here right uh Wendy tell me this what do you make of Curry's extension what can I learn from this well I actually never believed any of the hype that there was a chance that he was ever going to be anywhere but Golden State but that did exist out there there was some of that uh so this is him just backing up what he's always said which is he wants to be a warrior for life and let's just be honest this is a vote of confidence in the direction of the Warriors he didn't have to sign this now in fact he could have waited another year and next year he would have been allowed to sign for two years so him doing this now is saying hey I respect what we're doing as an organization and we're going to sort of pivot and try to try to continue to improve here the Warriors are not going to win a champ Championship this year as they're currently constructed I don't believe I don't think many people do but one thing that the Warriors have been doing since really last winter that you know really should be paid attention to is they're big game hunting you know they in one of the strangest stories of the last year in all of sports if you ask me if you remember guys the Warriors tried to trade for LeBron James at February's trade deadline now it didn't get anywhere but that was interesting then over the summer they tried to trade for Paul George and when then that didn't work out they couldn't make a deal they tried to trade for low marinin so they are absolutely big game hunting now big game hunting and big game Landing are two different things but they absolutely have the ability to look at other moves as as we go forward here let's see how this season plays out and they went and they added some players they have uh they have some young players on their roster this is a team to watch going forward transactionally they and Steph Curry signing that contract is is his belief that this organization still has good days ahead you know what Wendy first of all um you know one year two year it doesn't matter um anybody who uh from the go to State Warriors organization who allows Steph Curry to ever leave uh should should be banned from the state of California and banned from the NBA for for forever um this is the greatest play in franchise history more importantly than I don't care what anybody says more importantly than anything else um the role model that he has been the model citizen that he has been while maintaining his Superstar status as the greatest shooter God ever created um you just can't say enough about him and so I want to put that any money that he earns I don't count his money because whatever it is he's underpaid he is underpaid same thing with LeBron by the way underpaid I don't give a damn what money you give them they're underpaid compared to what they bring to the table and that's just me being real and straight up about it having said that the stuff that you brought up about Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors I'm very interested in delving a bit further and in the weeks and months to come I'm going to do that why couldn't they get Paul George why can't they get another Superstar to appear with um with Steph Curry especially in the aftermath of Kevin Durant's departure maybe you didn't feel the need to have anybody I get that part uh because Klay Thompson's Klay Thompson and I still believe in that brother by the way and Draymond is Draymond as far as I'm concerned people better open their eyes wake up this's a future Hall of Fame player scoring ain't everything with all the intangibles that that Draymond Green brings to the table the Warriors are not four-time Champions without Draymond Green he's a Hall of Famer but I'm still still looking at the organization as a whole specifically Steve Kerr and I'm saying H how come how come we can't get this brother any additional help we're talking about a Steph Curry that still looks like he's in his prime still the greatest shooter on the planet still good for 25 a game still good for 40% shooting plus from three-point range why the hell can we not get him one of the nicest guys on the planet teammates love them organization reveal them the city has deified them the area has deied them owns the Bay Area why in the hell can you get somebody worth noting to come and play with this brother you got Draymond and not only that draymont the point forward that he is the vocal leader that he is the facilitator that he has proven it to be the defensive starart he has proven to be why can't you get guys to play play with those two guys I'm like wait a minute now you would think people would clamor to do so I don't know if that has been the case and I'm asking you Wendy yeah I do think well first off they haven't been able to find a price that makes sense the price that the Clippers were asking for for Paul George was not a price that the the warriors were willing to meet and the price that the Jazz were sort of dangling out there for Lowry marinin was a higher price than the warriors were willing to pay I'll just I'll just clarify it the Warriors don't want to give Brandon psky they View Brandon psky he's not anywhere near the exact same player as Klay Thompson they're very different in terms of their Styles and sizes and everything but they sort of see psky as the replacement for Klay Thompson they want him to shoot 8 10 three-pointers a game they see that they have deemed him Untouchable and after deeming him Untouchable that has made it hard to make a deal a key player to watch for them is Jonathan kaminga he is in the middle contract extensions right now if they sign Kinga to an extension I think it's more unlikely that they trade him however if we get past the October deadline of an extension and they don't find a deal there I think he becomes a a high probability of being traded during the season so that's one of the things we're going to watch I think the big thing is that Joe lob and that ownership group and Mike Dunley their general manager are out there looking to really add to this team they have scaled back their spending they've reduced their their their luxury tax bill by something in the neighborhood of $150 million this year there's no doubt that their spending is down but that doesn't mean that they won't continue to spend and so as the season goes along you are correct Stephen A we're going to watch the Warriors how they start uh and and and and who may become available during the year Wendy this is Stephen A Smith you're talking to right now so I'm going to ask you again I know that the Golden State Warriors try to curve back there spending with all of those M with all of those dollars Joe lob spent throughout the years over $600 million if I remember correctly I mean the money that he doed out in terms of salary luxury tax and all of this other stuff he he he he owes no one an apology I was asking about a desire to play for Steve Kerr is that direct enough I think all the answers have been answered because he signed that contract yesterday I wasn't talk about Steph Curry though but I got you you weren't talking about Jason Tatum either all right uh great to see you in ESPN analyst believes Lakers All-Star can earn MVP honors in 20242 Fresh Off securing his first Olympic gold medal since 2012 Los Angeles Lakers Senator Anthony Davis has sparked a debate about his potential to win the 20124 25 NBA MVP award despite facing skepticism due to his injury history and recent team performance some analysts believe Davis could make a legitimate Run for the prestigious honor next season could the 31-year-old big man with his dominant two-way play finally earned the MVP Accolade Anthony Davis's Olympic showcase Davis recently demonstrated his value on the international stage with Team USA where he played behind 2023 NBA MVP Joel embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers in limited minutes 16.6 per game Davis averaged 8.3 points 6.7 rebounds 2.0 assists 1.5 blocks a team high and 1.2 steals these solid numbers contributed to team USA's undefeated run culminating in their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal Davis was part of a star studded roster that included his Lakers teammate LeBron James Phoenix Sons Allstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker and Golden State Warriors point guard Steven Curry among others despite being behind embi in the pecking order Davis's defense frequently outshone emids particularly in critical moments his performance underscored his status as an elite Defender capable of swinging games in his team's favor the case for Anthony Davis as MVP during a recent episode of ESPN's hoop Collective podcast host Brian windhorse put forth a bold claim Anthony Davis has a real shot at the MVP title this season Windor highlighted Davis's excellent conditioning and his standout performances for Team USA as reasons why he could be in the conversation for the award Anthony Davis was absolutely spectacular for Team USA windhorse said his physical conditioning is awesome now I haven't seen him in the last 3 weeks two weeks I don't know where he's at right now I don't know if he's going to stay healthy he is at plus 10,000 while Windor acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Davis's Health a crucial factor that has often derailed his seasons in the past he emphasized that Davis's defensive prowess and improved conditioning could set him apart from other MVP contenders skepticism from Tim bontemps not everyone is convinced that Davis has what it takes to win MVP however fellow ESPN analyst Tim bontemps voiced his doubts on the same podcast episode taking a much more pessimistic stance on Davis's MVP chances Anthony Davis is not winning MVP bontemps asserted yeah he looked great at the Olympics and he has absolutely no chance to win MVP bontemp skepticism is rooted in the Lakers overall team performance last season the Lakers finished with a 47-35 record in 2023 24 barely making it into the Western Conference playoffs after winning a playin Tournament game against the New Orleans Pelicans they were subsequently knocked out in the first round by the Denver Nuggets in just five games Additionally the Lakers have made no major roster upgrades outside of rookie guards Dalton neck and bronny James while many other Western Conference contenders have bolstered their lineups for Davis to seriously contend for MVP the Lakers will need to improve significantly both in regular season standings and playoff positioning what does Anthony Davis need to win MVP for Anthony Davis to emerge as a legit legitimate MVP candidate several factors must align perfectly health and consistency Davis's most significant hurdle has always been his health over the past few seasons he has struggled with injuries that have caused him to miss a substantial number of games a full healthy season with consistent performance on both ends of the court is a non-negotiable for any serious MVP bid dominant two-way play when fully healthy Davis is among the most dominant two-way players in the league his defense remains Elite and he has the ability to Anchor a top tier defense with his shot blocking rebounding and versatility offensively Davis needs to assert himself more especially in clutch moments to build a narrative that voters often favor Lakers team success individual Brilliance is rarely enough to secure the MVP Award Team success is equally important the Lakers must climb into the top four in the Western Conference standings for Davis to be considered a legitimate Contender this would likely require improvements not only from Davis but also from LeBron James Austin Reeves and The Supporting Cast strengthening MVP narrative the MVP race is often driven by narratives and Davis needs to build a compelling one whether it's bouncing back from past playoff disappointments leading a Resurgence for the Lakers or outperforming other MVP candidates like Nicola jokic gianis aneta compo and MBI Davis must capture the attention of both fans and media