The Bulls’ front office has engaged in internal discussions about trading for Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. Davis is viewed as a potential solution for the team’s poor interior defense, but sources tell Collier that Chicago is reluctant to make any move that involves giving up a portion of its young core until it becomes more competitive.
“I don’t think going out and chasing X megastar is the way to proceed — at least today,” one source said.
Collier points out that the Bulls have plenty of ammunition for such a deal. They own their first-round picks for the next seven years, along with a 2026 first-rounder from Portland that’s top-14 protected. The team could also have nearly $70MM in cap room for next summer’s free agent market.
Trade speculation surrounding Davis has increased amid Dallas’ 6-15 start to the season and the emerging stardom of rookie forward Cooper Flagg. The Mavs may decide to embrace a youth movement, but Davis’ injury history and his pricey contract make him a significant trade risk. He has only played six games this season and recently returned after an extended absence caused by a left calf strain.
Collier’s information on the Bulls’ interest in Davis is part of a larger story about what has caused the team to fall to 9-10 after a 6-1 start. There was an early-season belief that coach Billy Donovan’s up-tempo style had the team headed in the right direction, but opponents seemed to have adjusted to it over the past few weeks.
Donovan admits that he has patterned the approach after the Pacers after watching them reach the NBA Finals last season.
“That’s who we have to be,” he said. “We have to be better than the sum of our parts. … Everybody sees Indiana play, and the thing that everybody goes to right away is oh, their pace, their pace, their pace. The one thing that Indiana probably doesn’t get enough credit for is yes, they play really, really fast and (Tyrese) Haliburton‘s a unique play-maker back there, but the physicality of those guys defensively is where our evolution has to continue.”
The Bulls have entrusted Josh Giddey, who was acquired from Oklahoma City before the start of last season, to lead the team in the Haliburton role. However, there are questions about whether the rest of the roster is good enough to ever reach that level. Collier notes that Indiana has been much better defensively than Chicago, and it has a second star in Pascal Siakam to pair with Haliburton.
“They have Haliburton, who is an All-Star, and they have Siakam,” a Bulls source told Collier. “If Giddey can develop into an All-Star and be what Hali was, when do we pull the trigger to get our Siakam?”
Management still views Giddey, Coby White, Matas Buzelis and 2025 first-round pick Noa Essengue as its future core, team sources told Collier. Essengue, who won’t turn 19 until later this month, has been brought along slowly and didn’t make his season debut until November 22. Those same sources state that the Bulls understand they need to keep adding to that core to be successful and they plan to make moves in that direction.
AD is a heck of a player. Unfortunately, he is also injury prone.
That’s just the thing right, where does his value exist? I’ve always compared him to Byron Buxton, when healthy, electric but it’s so rare that it’s just not worth the investment.
I think pistons should trade for davis and I think mavs can get a better package as well vs what bulls offer
Trading for AD is probably a little desperate. For both Mavs and Bulls. If you can get him at a reasonable price. I certainly consider it …..
Essengue, Ayo, Collins, Huerter, future #1 pick.
All of that for Davis? They’ll be lucky to get any impact player and a pick. It’ll probably be salary and picks for any trade
That is salary and picks …..
Only Ayo looks like a rotation player.
I just think it would be ridiculous for Dallas to tank, which is what would be the result of trading AD.
Cooper Flagg is ready to help them win now.
Get Kyrie back this year, and see what they can do next year with AD, Kyrie and Flagg as their big 3.
Imagine how good it could work with one of your big 3 still on his rookie contract.
It couldn’t/won’t work with Kyrie coming back from a bad injury in his 30’s and AD never staying healthy for a whole season and in his 30’s as well. Dallas has it rough until Flagg is already on an extension with a better team around him. It’s going to be years before they can contend being in the western conference. They should trade for control of their own 1st rounder back and hope to get “lucky” in the draft again.
Davis had been healthy for the Lakers. Up until he got to Dallas he looked like the injury issues were behind him.
I see no reason to believe Kyrie won’t be effective when he returns.
Since they are already under contract, they may as well see what they look like next year.
The only year he didn’t miss any games was covid, a shortened season. He missed plenty of time in LA and they sold high on him before he breaks down completely like he probably will in Dallas, unless they sell low or another team is dumb enough to overpay for him.
Almost all players miss games. He did not have the types of long term injuries with the Lakers like he did last year with the Mavericks, or during his Pelicans years.
I don’t see the need to trade him by this trade deadline when they can trade him by deadline next year if they don’t start off well.
They are stuck with him or have to trade him for little value. He’s about as useful as a trade piece for Dallas as Embiid is for Philly. They could pull the pelicans move and make him sit healthy just to not make his value even less but he’s in his 30’s now, so Dallas has no real hope at getting close to the value he was worth when New Orleans traded him in his 20’s.
He is no where near as broken down as Embiid.
But I agree he does not have the value that he had with the Pelicans.
My point is that he is still an effective player, so it doesn’t make sense to trade him when Flagg is already a winning player.
Bring them back next year and if doesn’t work, then blow it up.
Copying another franchise never works. Ask the rockets, they tried to be golden state for a decade, it was embarrassing.
I don’t remember the Rockets trying to play like the Warriors.
They never played with that type of ball and player movement.
They had Harden dominating the ball, and everyone else standing around the three point line.
Oh God please stop the insanity! Just when you think Bulls management couldn’t get any dumber…….You hear stuff like this. Wow! Make sure you include your 18 year old first round pick in there so you erase that stupid mistake too.
Thank God. We don’t need or want him.
Should the Bulls trade for AD? No.
Do the Bulls ever do what they should do? Also no.
Bad move for both teams. Dallas dropped money on Irving and need to give him time to get back. Chicago isn’t going to advance enough with Davis to be meaningful, thus setting them back.