(670 The Score) While the Bulls appear to be out of the sweepstakes to land Pelicans star Anthony Davis, it doesn't mean they can't be tangentially involved when he's eventually traded.
The Lakers are heavily pursuing Davis, and the possibility exists that a third team could be brought into the deal to help match the desires of every party involved. Primarily, that means the teams themselves. Beyond that, it could perhaps mean the players -- such as Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, a leading candidate to be dealt if Los Angeles is to acquire Davis.
Ball would rather land with a third team in a Davis trade than play for the Pelicans, and on that front, he's interested in the Bulls and Knicks, the Los Angeles Times reported late Tuesday. Ball's camp believes the Pelicans' backcourt is a bit crowded with standout Jrue Holiday as a go-to force and that Ball might not play the leading role he hopes to fill, the Times reported.
The trouble in all this, of course, is that Ball has no control over where he ends up, and the Pelicans presumably view him as a key piece to retain in a potential trade of Davis to the Lakers.
Ball, 21, was the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft. Currently out with an ankle sprain, Ball is averaging 9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 30.3 minutes. He has displayed superb court vision early in his NBA career and is a solid defender, but he's been an inefficient offensive player. Ball is shooting just 40.6 percent overall and 32.9 percent on 3-pointers this season. He's been even more alarming at the free-throw line, where he's shooting a hideous 41.7 percent. Despite having the ball in his hands a fair deal, Ball has attempted just 48 free throws in 47 games.
The Bulls are nearing a crossroads in deciding how to move forward at the point guard position. In his second season in Chicago, Kris Dunn has continued to be inconsistent, averaging 12.1 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 44.1 percent overall and 33.3 percent on 3-pointers. Dunn, who turns 25 in March, was recently in a bad shooting slump, which he broke out of with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in a loss to the Nets on Tuesday evening. The problem was he complemented his scoring with zero assists and six turnovers in 31 minutes. The Bulls have rarely experienced success when core pieces in Dunn, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen share the floor together.
Dunn is extension eligible starting in July and leading up to the start of the 2019-'20 regular season. At 11-40, the Bulls are also on track to land a pick in the top half of the lottery, where they could have eyes on Murray State point guard Ja Morant, whom general manager Gar Forman recently scouted.
Davis isn't interested in playing in Chicago, Brian Windhorst of ESPN has reported. As the wayward Bulls have spiraled downward, agent Rich Paul's comments in making Davis' trade request public shined some light on why his client isn't interested in Chicago.
"Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship," Rich Paul told ESPN.
