The Chicago Bulls have enjoyed a stronger-than-expected start to the new NBA season. Billy Donovan’s team is eighth in the Eastern Conference with nine wins from 17 games.
The rebuild is clearly starting to take shape. However, Chicago is still missing a true star. With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley has proposed a trade that would send Anthony Davis to the Bulls to anchor the paint for the foreseeable future.
Buckley’s trade idea looks like this:
Bulls Get: Anthony Davis
Dallas Mavericks Get: Coby White, Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, a 2030 first-round pick (top-three protected) and a 2031 first-round pick swap.
“Returning to his hometown of Chicago would be both a fun narrative and maybe a better basketball story,” Buckley wrote. “There is lots to like about his potential fit with Nikola Vučević, a true floor-spacing 5 who could use a defensive deterrent like Davis at his side. The Brow’s finishing might also perk up Josh Giddey’s playmaking and help Chicago guard against throwing too much too fast at 21-year-old swingman Matas Buzelis.”
Trading for Davis comes with a legitimate risk. His inability to stay healthy in recent years would be a genuine concern. However, bringing him to Chicago to play for his hometown team could potentially give him a new lease of life during the final stages of his career.
Nikola Vucevic Is Open To Exending Bulls’ Stay
As Buckley mentioned, pairing Davis with Nikola Vucevic would be the ideal scenario if Chicago was to add Davis. The championship-winning big man has long been open about his preference of playing next to a rim-protecting big man.
Fortunately for the Bulls, Vucevic, who is currently in the final year of his contract, has previously noted his willingness to extend his stay in the Windy City.
“Yes, of course (he would consider re-signing),” Vucevic told Basketnews. “I mean, it has been good for me there. We will see—I have one more year left with them, so we will see what happens if I stay or if something changes. But yeah, obviously, I would love to win in Chicago.”
Vucevic has been solid to start this season, averaging 16.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 16 games. He’s shooting 49.5% from the field and 40.7% from deep.
The Proposed Trade Would Flip Coby White
Another key aspect of Buckley’s trade proposal is that it would send White to the Mavericks. The talented scorer is in his final year with the Bulls. Moving on from him in return for Davis is a solid scenario for Chicago, especially after committing $25 million per year to Josh Giddey this summer.
If White does re-sign with Chicago, a significant amount of their cap space will be tied up in the backcourt. Therefore, flipping White in a deal for an All-Star caliber forward could make sense. Of course, Davis would then need to shoulder a significant scoring burden to help replace what the team lost by moving on from White.
Still, trading an expiring contract is commonplace in the NBA. Doing so before the summer would erase a potential headache for the front office. Of course, Davis’ injury history could give them an even bigger headache. So, any move for him would have to be weighed up carefully.
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