Anthony Davis' agent, Rich Paul, pushed back against the idea of AD playing for his hometown Chicago Bulls. As a Chicago native, Davis has been rumored as a potential Bulls trade target for months. But Paul actually discouraged the idea of Davis playing at home and emphasized the pressure that comes with such a role.
Would Anthony Davis be able to succeed in Chicago?
According to Paul, the pressure of being a hometown hero carrying an NBA team can be overwhelming for most players. He cited concern about the need to support family and childhood friends while playing in the biggest spotlight. Although his most notable client, LeBron James, was able to successfully navigate that pressure on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Paul doesn't think most players are built to handle it well.
It's worth noting that the Bulls are seeking any sort of star player who can finally pull them out of mediocrity. However, Davis' injury history and reliance on perimeter players to get him the ball could leave him unable to fulfill that mandate. If the Bulls were to somehow acquire AD and still find themselves outside of the Eastern Conference's top tier, there would certainly be backlash from fans and the media.
The idea of a hometown disadvantage for star players is an interesting one that's hard for fans to conceptualize. But Paul works directly with some of the game's brightest stars, both established and young, daily. There's credibility to his perspective built from years of representing NBA players and cultivating close personal relationships with them.
At the same time, he mentioned that role players might not suffer from the same pressure due to lower expectations placed on them. A name to monitor for this effect going forward might be Matas Buzelis. Buzelis is infamously a Chicago native himself who was born and raised in the Chicago area before transferring out of state for his prep career. As he establishes himself in the NBA, it'll be interesting to see how he balances the unique position of playing for his hometown team from day one.
When it comes to Anthony Davis, the odds of him going to the Bulls seem to be dwindling by the day. Instead, the Bulls would probably be better off looking for young players to bolster their frontcourt at this point. Davis doesn't quite fit their timeline, and his injury history, combined with his age, makes him a less-than-ideal trade target.
Pushback from Davis' own agent seems to make it even more unlikely that he'll suit up for the Bulls. Between this latest soundbite and the impasse in trade talks for Davis, the pipe dream of him playing in his hometown is rapidly drying up.