Chicago Bulls/Anthony Davis trade looks good for Pelicans in 3 years
The New Orleans Pelicans are listening to offers for Anthony Davis. Could his hometown Chicago Bulls put together a competitive offer for the All-Star big man?
The New Orleans Pelicans are more than likely dealing away Anthony Davis this summer. Davis has maintained his strong stance on his trade demand, forcing David Griffin’s hand. Shams Charania reported on the Athletic (subscription required) that the Lakers, Clippers and Knicks are Davis’ most preferred destinations.
New Orleans will consider those offers, but will try to bring in other bidders as well. The Pelicans should put in a call the Chicago Bulls, Anthony Davis’ hometown team. Davis has only asked for big market teams in Los Angeles and New York. Sending Davis to the Second City could benefit the Pelicans three years from now.
Griffin and GM Trajan Langdon will be looking at trades not only for their short term competitive value, but the long term value that can be realized while Zion Williamson grows into his All-NBA potential.
Spencer Dinwiddie’s contract causes the most concern when considering the Brooklyn Nets offer. The Chicago Bulls offer might contain the same headaches a year after the trade is made.
Otto Porter Jr. (26) is due $27,250,575 in 2019-2020. His contract in 2020-2021 is a player option worth $28,489,238. He is likely to opt out of that contract in search of one last payday. Porter Jr. would be in his age 29 season, likely wanting years of security.
Porter Jr. could be traded for a cascading value of assets. The Davis trade should not be judged on just the initial haul. It will also be judged by what that haul eventually becomes on the court in the following years.
Porter Jr., going on 30, might not be the best investment for the Zion era of title contention. Porter Jr. on a options deal would be a great asset to dangle at the trade deadline. A desperate contender like Boston who struck out on Davis would be willing to part with a pick and a a couple players for Otto’s services.
Meanwhile, a year of Holiday and Porter Jr. as guides for Zion’s rookie season would be interesting. Porter Jr. is a scoring threat capable of hitting 40% from deep and handling multiple switches on the defensive end. New Orleans would be just balanced enough to be competitive with his addition if he were included in an AD trade.
Would that be enough to convince Porter Jr. to stay in New Orleans for the rest of his prime? Would that be enough to convince Zion that New Orleans is serious about a winning culture of sustained excellence? Not without one more high level NBA starter talent coming in the deal as well.
The Bulls might have a star in the making, better than anything the Celtics or Lakers could offer for Anthony Davis. In fact, they might have a few players who could reach ascending star status.