There’s little to no shot realistically this offseason that Lakers superstar Anthony Davis will want to come home and sign with the Chicago Bulls.
The time for offseason speculation has officially began around the NBA, and the Chicago Bulls are definitely no exception to a team in this chatter. The Bulls have already been involved in a number of significant moves this offseason within the organization that could reshape the direction of this rebuild heading into its fourth year.
But one player that all eyes are going to fall on around the NBA this offseason, once this coming cycle of free agency begins, is the Los Angeles Lakers superstar big man and former New Orleans Pelican Anthony Davis. This cycle of free agency will see Davis potentially hit the open market for a bit of time if he doesn’t pick up his player option immediately.
Davis is set to have a player option, that he could pickup. Or there is a possibility that the Lakers just go ahead and hand him a long-term contract extension. But with an aging superstar forward in LeBron James as his running mate for the time being, AD might want to make sure that the Lakers have other future plans in mind once he needs another star teammate to win in LA.
Nonetheless, AD and LeBron seem to have a great situation right now with the Lakers. They’re currently contending for an NBA Championship as the top-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Lakers are battling superstar guard James Harden and the four-seed Houston Rockets in the second round of the playoffs.
But if the Lakers wind up falling short of winning a title this year, or even don’t make it past a team like the Rockets or Los Angeles Clippers in the West side of the playoff bracket will AD still want to stick around over the long haul?
Maybe he does take a cautious approach and not sign a long-term deal with the Lakers soon and see what happens during that illustrious 2021 free agent class.
And there’s one Bleacher Report writer that thinks that the Bulls are a realistic landing spot for him in a future free agent cycle, but one AD should definitely avoid for now. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report published a piece on Sep. 4 that says that the Bulls are the one destination that Davis should avoid if he were to hit the free agent market anytime soon.
Here’s more on what this BR piece had to say on the matter.
"The Bulls don’t have Brow money right now, but if he signaled a willingness to come back to the Windy City, they could surely create the space to make it happen. Thaddeus Young ($13.5 million) and Tomas Satoransky ($10 million) both seem movable at their salaries, and even Otto Porter Jr. ($28.5 million player option) might interest someone who thinks he’s fully healthy as a plug-and-play veteran with a massive expiring deal.So, Davis to Chicago probably can happen, but it shouldn’t.First off, why would he even want a change of scenery when staying put means championship-chasing with LeBron James in Hollywood? Imagine having the King as your costar and deciding you’d rather run with Zach LaVine. Impossible—no matter how much you’re craving deep-dish pizza or an Italian beef sandwich."
More on Anthony Davis and the Chicago Bulls
Davis does have that connection with the Windy City since he is a Chicago native. He’s spoke highly on the city of Chicago and the basketball culture around here before. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that he finds the Bulls as a good fit anytime soon for his NBA journey.
As already mentioned here, AD is in a really good situation with the Lakers and definitely could have a title waiting for him in the near future. But there’s also other landing spots that would love to have AD in the mix that would likely be more championship contender-ready in the next couple of years than the Bulls will be.
It seems like AD signing with the Bulls would be a move be made much later on down the road in his NBA career. He might want to have a stint with the Bulls similar to what future Hall-of-Fame Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade did in Chicago during the 2016-17 season.
During the 2019-20 regular season with the Lakers, AD averaged 26.1 points per game, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.3 blocks. He shot 50.3 percent from the field, 33.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line. That was good enough to garner him his seventh NBA All-Star selection in a row, and likely what will be his fourth All-NBA Team selection.
The Bulls finished up the 2019-20 season with a record of 22-43. While the organization does seem to be improving, with all of the front office and coaching staff changes made so far this offseason, they likely won’t be ready to appeal to a big star like AD in any free agent cycle in the near future.