Although it was hard for Lakers fans to say goodbye to Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart in July, they were also overjoyed to say the least to have Anthony Davis be coming to L.A.
The big man is a 3x All-NBA player, a 6x All-Star, and a 3x All-Defensive Team player. His numbers speak for themselves, and they’re definitely doing some talking through six games of the season as he is averaging MVP-type numbers with 28.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game.
In addition to being an All-NBA, All-Defensive, and potential MVP player, Davis is also another type of player. A soon-to-be free agent.
Yes, although the Lakers acquired Davis due in large part to him and his agent, Rich Paul, letting other teams know that his chances of signing their long-term were slim to none, it appears that there are no guarantees that Davis will be the Lakers’ star of the future. Davis is Chicago born and bred, and on Monday was asked about the prospect of possibly playing for his hometown Bulls sometime in the future ahead of the Lakers and Bulls playing on Tuesday night. Here’s what he had to say via Eric Woodyard of ESPN (viewer discretion advised for Lakers fans):
Lakers star Anthony Davis on possibility of playing for hometown Chicago Bulls in future: “I mean, I am a free agent next year … but we will see.” pic.twitter.com/Y377w1AlAQ
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) November 5, 2019
Now, this could mean nothing. But on the other hand, it could mean a whole lot.
If you notice in the video, Davis is at what seems to be a local Chicago restaurant with plenty of Chicago locals staring him at the face. Davis may have felt obliged to give a favorable answer to the crowd, leaving the door open for Davis to potentially return to play in Chicago for the first time since his high school days.
But, Davis could also be meaning exactly what he’s thinking at the moment. It is his hometown, after all, and Davis would be absolutely adored by Chicago if he came back to save a franchise that has been near the bottom of the league for a couple of years now.
In the past, there’s been reports that back this video up, saying that Davis is open to playing in Chicago. While there’s also other reports that he doesn’t actually want to play in Chicago. Whatever reports that have come out in the past, you have to take Davis’ word as something substantial when it comes straight from his mouth. With that being said, it’ll be hard for Davis to leave LeBron James and the Lakers, especially if they have a very successful season ending in championship.
We’ll see how Davis’ tune changes as the season goes on.
All stats from NBA.com or Basketball Reference
