Since initially being floated in trade talks several weeks ago, Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis has been tied to Chicago. Many have seen the Bulls as a potential suitor due to their widening cap room this summer, their draft capital available for trade, and the slew of young talents on the roster that could be flipped. Despite his injury history and age, he would make a massive difference for Chicago. His rim-protecting abilities and elite play in the paint on both ends would solve the majority of the issues with the Bulls. Today, ESPN's Shams Charania provided an update on the Davis trade rumors and narrowed down his next stop. Here's what it means for Chicago.
Anthony Davis Will Not Be A Chicago Bull
According to Charania's report today, the Davis sweepstakes have been narrowed down to three Eastern Conference teams. The Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, and Atlanta Hawks are the lone remaining candidates for obtaining his services, meaning the Chicago Bulls are no longer in the hunt. There were never definitive reports that Chicago was ever interested, or in the hunt to begin with, but this news stamps that they'll be looking elsewhere to recruit rim protection. It won't be fully determined whether or not this was a good choice by the Bulls to stay on the sidelines for a Davis deal until the final trade details are released. Still, the assumption is his price was too steep for a stingy Arturas Karnisovas-led front office group.
Shams:
— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) December 9, 2025
“Three Eastern Conference teams WILL emerge as suitors for Anthony Davis, are the Pistons, Raptors, and the Atlanta Hawks.”
“You’re looking at packages around role players, picks, potentially expiring contracts.”
“There’s a group of Eastern Conference contenders… pic.twitter.com/ZYd332HEXg
Reading the phrase "game-changing" and knowing Davis is a multi-time All-NBA talent, it likely means Chicago was unwilling to fork up the assets that'll likely be demanded for a deal. They will, however, need to pivot to another rim-protecting option because the lack of paint defense has quickly sunk them to the depths of the standings.
Pivoting Elsewhere For Help
The Chicago Bulls may be out on Anthony Davis, but they need to execute a trade of some capacity in the next few months. The most likely candidates now become Zion Williamson, Jonathan Kuminga, or Domantas Sabonis. There's also a growing chance that Chicago will fully open the doors and trade away anyone with value to a contending roster. This could include Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter, Coby White, or Zach Collins. The growing notion currently is that Williamson is the target of interest.
The Bulls are viewed as a realistic potential trade destination for Zion Williamson due to owning over $80 million in expiring contracts.
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) December 7, 2025
The Pelicans are preparing to move on for good from the failed Zion era for a relatively cheap price due to his unreliable injury history. pic.twitter.com/fCf3C4q7UE
It's safe to say Chicago is out on any superstar-level talents like Davis or Antetokounmpo, but what lower-level All-Star will they pursue in the next month, and what are they willing to sacrifice?
