Bulls ‘Would Bend Over Backwards’ to Acquire 8-Time All-Star: Report

Bulls exec Artūras Karnišovas

Getty Bulls exec Artūras Karnišovas

The Chicago Bulls need more star power if they want to compete in the Eastern Conference since the East is filled with superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, James Harden, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Trae Young.

The Bulls have three All-Stars in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. However, they still lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2022 playoffs in five games.

If Chicago could trade for a legitimate superstar, it could make some serious noise in the East and one Eastern Conference executive who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy believes the Bulls would “bend over backwards” to acquire Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers.

There’s no indication that the Lakers are interested in trading Davis this summer. However, if the purple and gold do make AD available in trade talks, the exec who talked to Deveney thinks the Bulls would make an offer.

“It’s crazy. Look, it is beauty in the eye of the beholder. But he is an elite talent and he is 29 years old. Everybody wants him, everybody thinks that if they get their hands on him, they can keep him healthy, etc., etc. Now, can you get the kind of offer the Lakers gave up when they traded for him (in 2019)? No, of course not. But a team like Chicago, where he is from, they would bend over backwards to get him,” the exec told Deveney.

Davis was born and raised in Chicago. He has career averages of 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks and has made eight All-Star teams, four All-NBA teams and four All-Defensive teams.

However, the Kentucky product is severely injury-prone. Davis has never played in more than 75 games in a season and he has only appeared in 76 games in the last two years for the Lakers.


Proposed Trade Lands Bulls Davis

The exec who spoke to Deveney thinks the Bulls could trade Patrick Williams, Coby White and Vucevic to the Lakers for Davis. That trade is eligible under CBA rules.

“I don’t think there is a lot that the Bulls would give up Patrick Williams for, but if you’re talking about bringing Anthony Davis back to Chicago, as an organization, they would get on board with that,” the exec told Deveney. “It would make a lot of sense on both sides, except that LeBron and Klutch want AD in Los Angeles. But Williams and Coby White with that expiring Vucevic contract, it is a good package both ways. If you are the Lakers, maybe you try to pull a pick, too.”

Davis signed a five-year, $189.9 million contract with the Lakers in December 2020. If the Bulls had a Big Three of DeRozan, LaVine and Davis, they could compete for a championship since DeRozan and LaVine are elite perimeter scorers and Davis is one of the best post players in the league.


DeRozan-LaVine-Davis Trio Would Be Lethal

DeRozan was fifth in the NBA in points per game this season, while LaVine was 12th. The former averaged 27.9 points while shooting 50.4% from the field. Meanwhile, the latter averaged 24.4 points and shot 38.9% from beyond the arc.

Davis averaged 23.2 points and 9.9 rebounds for the Lakers this season. However, he only played in 40 games due to injuries. Both injuries, though, happened on fluke plays, so if Davis stayed healthy with the Bulls, the East would get more competitive in 2022-23 since he’s a force on both ends of the floor.

LaVine, Davis and Lakers star LeBron James have the same agent: Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. LaVine, 27, becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer for the first time in his career.

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