Five months after initial discussions, the New Orleans Pelicans eventually traded Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for young players and multiple draft picks.
Although Davis will become a free agent following the 2019-20 NBA season, there is confidence he will ultimately re-sign with the Lakers as they were one of the two teams listed as long-term trade destinations for him to the Pelicans.
As Davis prepares for Year 1 with LeBron James, he returned to his hometown of Chicago, IL for Nike’s Rise Camp to speak with students at Kenwood Academy.
When asked about potentially playing for the Chicago Bulls at some point, the 26-year-old had an interesting answer while calling his hometown ‘the Mecca of basketball,’ according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Tribune:
“I mean, (this is) definitely hometown,” he said. “If the opportunity ever presents itself and when that time comes, I’d definitely consider it.”
However, Davis has been very consistent with focusing on the present with the Lakers, according to Johnson:
“We stand great,” Davis said of the Lakers’ chances. “I feel very confident in our team and our roster. I’m excited about it. The league is going to be fun this year.”
As Davis wants to win his first championship, the Bulls are establishing a young core and are a few seasons away from competing. While this latest quote will likely get twisted, the Lakers do offer him the best chance to reach his goals.
To his credit, Davis has done his part ever since being traded to Los Angeles. Along with waiving his $4 million trade kicker to help the Lakers pursue Kawhi Leonard, Davis will not play at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
While there was plenty of excitement when James signed in last year’s free agency, this is the first season in quite some time where there are legitimate championship aspirations.
Although the Lakers would be favorites to win it all in the 2020 NBA Finals in any other season, the landscape of the league has significantly changed for the first time in five seasons. As a good number of teams have at least two All-Star players now, it will be an exciting one to say the least.
