Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois. Aside from his upbringing and his time at Perspectives Charter from sixth grade through his senior year, however, he has few meaningful ties to Chicago basketball. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean he won’t be linked to the Bulls once trade season rolls around.
Hell, Davis is already being linked to the Bulls. Mock trades are flying around, and insiders far and wide are speculating that the 5–13 Dallas Mavericks might be ready to part ways with the 10-time All-Star.
Of course, why would the Mavericks trade Davis after he’s appeared in only 14 games with the franchise? Well, that’s actually part of the reason. The 6-foot-10 big man arrived in Dallas as the centerpiece of one of the most jarring trades in sports history—the deal that sent 26-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Mavericks dismantled their present and future to trade for a 32-year-old Davis, who is anything but reliable—hence the 14 games he’s played since last February. After years of building around Doncic and stockpiling rangy wings and bigs, Dallas is now left, well… without a creator, especially with Kyrie Irving sidelined. Oh, and they fired Nico Harrison—the architect of that ill-fated trade—just weeks into the season. Now all cards are on the table.
Anthony Davis may be the next star on the trade block
While there aren’t any concrete reports that the Mavericks are shopping Davis, ESPN’s Tim McMahon said he’d expect team governor Patrick Dumont to at least test the waters. And given everything mentioned in the paragraph above, it’s hardly an outlandish possibility.
What’s even more outlandish is the idea of the Bulls trading for Davis. But the Mavericks did trade a top-five player in his prime, so at this point, anything feels possible. And perhaps more importantly, Davis fits what Chicago needs—and he’s from Chicago, so why not?
In Tim Bontemps' piece, NBA first-month lessons: What we're hearing on all 30 teams, the ESPN insider listed Chicago as a potential trade destination for Davis. He even included a sentiment from a Western Conference executive who said, “I could see it,” when asked about Davis’ fit in the Windy City.
Furthermore, the West exec noted that since Josh Giddey has been gelling so well with 35-year-old Nikola Vucevic as a pick-and-pop partner, Davis would be an even bigger upgrade as a well-rounded offensive threat who can space the floor and serve as a much-needed lob target.
There’s no doubt about it: the Bulls need a lob threat and a defensive anchor, and AD provides both. With Chicago overachieving at 9–7, there’s at least a possibility the front office looks to capitalize ahead of the trade deadline. Plus, with ample trade pieces and draft capital, the Bulls have enough to spark real interest.