Brian Windhorst said in January that Anthony Davis, who at the time was disgruntled member of the New Orleans Pelicans and wanted a trade, did not have any desire to play for his hometown Bulls. It made sense: Davis and Rich Paul, his agent, were angling for a trade to the Lakers so the All-Pro could team up with LeBron James. Also, Davis wanted to compete for championships and obviously wasn’t going to do that in the short-term future playing for what became a 22-win Bulls team.
Earlier this week, Davis said he wouldn’t rule out a return to the Bulls at some point in his career, saying “I’d definitely consider it.” This, of course, was an interview held in Chicago during a Nike event, so it made little sense for Davis to rule out a return to Chicago. This happens all the time. It was hardly newsworthy but was a nice headline to get everyone through the dog days of the NBA’s quiet period.
But fear not. We’ve got even more non-news news.
Jalen Rose spoke on ESPN’s Get Up! this morning and stirred the pot even further. While discussing the NBA’s investigation of tampering and how more and more players are setting future plans up in the present, Rose dropped this little nugget: “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.”
Rose, you’ll remember, is the same talking head who gave a “99.9% chance” of Kawhi Leonard re-signing with the Toronto Raptors. He also hinted at the Bulls being interested in dealing Zach LaVine to the New Orleans Pelicans prior to the NBA Draft.
Leonard chose the L.A. Clippers. LaVine still plays for the Bulls.
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In addition to Rose's sparkling resume on predictions, it seems highly unlikely that Davis would work so diligently to all-but force a trade to the Lakers just to leave them in a year. It’s almost a given that Davis is going to sign a long-term deal with the Lakers to play alongside LeBron James – both of whom have Rich Paul as an agent – and play the heart of his career with the most storied franchise in NBA history.
Also, while it’s pretty easy to make salary cap space these days, the Bulls have no money to add Davis in free agency next season unless Otto Porter declines his player option. That seems unlikely. So, too, does Davis wanting to join a Bulls team that was worse than the Pelicans one he requested to be traded from.
Then again, Rose never said it would happen next season when Davis is a free agency. He likely didn't put a timeline on it to cover his bases, like he should have done with his Kawhi prediction.
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