NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis ‘Already Planting Seeds’ For Move To Chicago Bulls, Jalen Rose Speculates
Thanks to a blockbuster trade last month that sent several young players and draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis is now with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he will be teaming up with LeBron James as they hope to lead the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. But with Davis being eligible to opt out of the final year of his contract next summer, it’s still far from certain whether the former All-NBA big man will be wearing the purple and gold for the long haul. As far as ESPN’s Jalen Rose is concerned, that might not be the case, as he believes Davis might be planning ahead for a move to his hometown Chicago Bulls.
On Tuesday morning’s edition of ESPN’s Get Up! Rose talked about the ongoing trend of players plotting their NBA futures ahead of time. As quoted by NBC Sports Chicago, the NBA-star-turned-analyst specifically mentioned Davis as an example of someone who could be thinking in advance about the next stopover in his NBA career.
“Guys are planning years ahead. I’m gonna say this right now: Don’t be surprised if Anthony Davis ends up with the Bulls… He’s already planting seeds.”
Per NBC Sports Chicago, Rose’s comments came shortly after Davis appeared at a Nike event in Chicago and said he’d “definitely consider” signing with the Bulls later in his career. However, the outlet cautioned that Rose was the same analyst who said there was a “99.9 percent” chance that Kawhi Leonard would re-sign with the Toronto Raptors, and also teased prior to last month’s rookie draft that the Bulls were considering trading Zach LaVine to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Instead of signing a new deal with the Raptors, Leonard chose to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent. Meanwhile, LaVine is still with the Bulls despite the earlier trade rumors linking him to the Pelicans.
Anthony Davis in the new threADs ? (via @NBA2K) #NBA2K20 pic.twitter.com/qOMxzAeKUV
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) July 17, 2019
Aside from pointing out how Rose’s recent predictions didn’t ring true, NBC Sports Chicago opined that it doesn’t seem logical for Davis to leave the Lakers just one year after “[working] so diligently” to ensure he joined them via trade. As for the Bulls, the publication wrote that the team likely won’t have enough money to sign Davis as a free agent next summer, unless small forward Otto Porter Jr. opts out of the final year of his contract.
“That seems unlikely,” NBC Sports Chicago added. “So, too, does Davis wanting to join a Bulls team that was worse than the Pelicans one he requested to be traded from.”
On the other hand, ClutchPoints cited Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, who previously hinted that the former Pelicans star has plans to test the free agency market next summer, regardless of what happens in the 2019-20 season. The outlet added that it’s possible for Davis to consider signing with Chicago if the Lakers’ upcoming campaign turns out to be an “absolute disaster” despite this summer’s big acquisitions.
