Chicago Bulls May Be Worst Possible Landing Spot For Anthony Davis In Free Agency, Per ‘Bleacher Report’

Although most reports have suggested Anthony Davis has no plans of leaving the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason, there has been some talk that the seven-time All-Star might choose to leave the Purple and Gold after just one season and sign with his hometown Chicago Bulls. However, a recent article posited that joining the Bulls might not be the best move at this point in his career.

In a list of best and worst destinations for some of the NBA’s likely free agents this offseason, Bleacher Report wrote Davis is “clearly ready to compete for titles,” just as he and the Lakers will be doing when they face the Miami Heat in this year’s Finals. According to the publication, Chicago would likely need to make some significant roster changes in order to meet these expectations. However, the organization currently does not have any players who are valuable enough to be used as trade bait to acquire a second superstar in return.

“As exciting as it would be for the Windy City to welcome home an accomplished son, Davis’ presence on the Bulls might quickly become depressing if the front office couldn’t properly build around him.”

Conversely, Bleacher Report opined that Davis’ best option in the 2020 offseason would be to re-sign with the Lakers as there doesn’t appear to be a good reason for him to leave Los Angeles. According to the publication, this season marked the first one where the 27-year-old was able to get far in the postseason while putting up his usual big numbers.

Given this, as well as the expectation that he still has several years remaining in his prime, it was noted Davis could easily supplant LeBron James as the “face of the franchise” once the four-time MVP retires, joins another team, or sees his production decline.

While the Lakers have indeed had a successful 2019-20 campaign, it remains to be seen whether they will overcome the Heat and win their 17th NBA championship. That has kept the rumors of Davis moving to Chicago swirling, as ESPN analyst Jay Williams suggested earlier this month that the first-team All-NBA selection might opt to “[represent] home” if Los Angeles falls short of winning a title. However, if he does join the Bulls, it’s possible the team would need to acquire him via a sign-and-trade deal — one that might involve at least some of their young core players and some draft picks — due to their lack of salary-cap space.