The Los Angeles Lakers are out to a 2-8 start in the 2022-23 season, leading many to wonder just what this front office is going to do to fix this mess. Will the Lakers try to make a big trade to right the ship? Will they just ride things out with this group and try to make big changes in the offseason? Or will they do something really drastic like blowing up the LeBron James-Anthony Davis duo with a trade?
That last option probably isn't going to happen this season, but The Ringer's Bill Simmons got people talking by claiming there's “buzz” about the Lakers potentially making Davis available. And, naturally, this started speculation about Davis' hometown Chicago Bulls getting involved. The Bulls are off to a decent start despite some notable injury problems, but even when healthy they're still not quite championship contender material. Would making a blockbuster trade for Davis get them there? Would they pursue something like this?
It's complicated for a player with two seasons left on his deal after this one, with the possibility of becoming a free agent in 2024.
Davis is still a terrific player. The 29-year-old Lakers big man is off to a strong start this season, averaging 23.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.6 steals in 34.6 minutes per game entering play Wednesday He's still not shooting great from 3-point range at 28.6%, but he's at 53.8% from the field overall, and he's doing this despite playing through a nagging back issue.
But he's not quite the top-of-the-line superstar he used to be, and those continued injury concerns have to be taken into account. That makes his trade value a bit tricky to figure out, as good as he still is. Is he the guy who can still really lift a team if you're giving up a lot to get him?
The Lakers would certainly be looking for a lot if they were to trade Davis at any point in the near future. Would they ask for a swap involving Zach LaVine? Would they want DeMar DeRozan and/or Nikola Vucevic? Would they prioritize younger talent?
All of this was discussed in the most recent episode of Blue Wire's Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast. The conversation about Davis starts at around the 49-minute mark:
The Bulls' front office wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't look into an Anthony Davis trade if he were to be made available. There are legitimate arguments to be made that making a trade like this would move Chicago closer to a title. All of the Bulls' top players are flawed and this current team doesn't have a championship ceiling, so this would shake things up and bring in a two-way force. A healthy and engaged Davis is a big-time impact player.
However, Davis has his own flaws and red flags, especially with all the injury question marks. While a trade could very well make some sense, I wouldn't feel all that great about it leading to a title.
But who are we kidding? This isn't happening anyway. It's just fun to talk about.
Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast is part of the Blue Wire Podcast Network. The pod can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts.
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