Anthony Davis trade destinations

Back in February, then Dallas Mavericks’ GM Nico Harrison made one of the most shocking blockbuster trades in NBA history, when he sent superstar and franchise icon Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around Anthony Davis.

The end of the Luka era started what was described as a “two-year window” with Davis, Kyrie Irving and the rest of Dallas’ roster that was in the NBA Finals less than a year ago at the time.

But things haven’t gone according to plan in Dallas, and now it's time to panic.

The Mavericks failed to make the NBA playoffs last year after losing the West Play-In championship game to the Memphis Grizzlies. This season, they are out of the West playoff picture.

The plan now is to build around the aforementioned Irving (who’s recovering from a torn ACL) and recent No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, meaning an Anthony Davis trade is on the table.

Davis has missed time this season due to injuries, but he’s now back on the floor, which could ramp up trade discussions. Ironically, Davis said recently that he “expects to be traded by Dallas.”

With that long intro now out of the way, here are a few teams that could make a move for Davis.

Chicago Bulls

It wouldn’t be an Anthony Davis trade rumors article without the Bulls, now would it?

Davis is from Chicago, which is the main reason for the Bulls always being rumored as a destination, but can they pull it off?

Chicago sits just outside of the East playoffs right now, but started the season 5-0, which could lead teams to believe they want to be competitive.

The Bulls have impact players like Josh Giddey and Coby White, but lack a true star, number one player.

Trading for Davis could be incredibly beneficial for the Bulls and their young players.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons have been a pleasant surprise in the early stages of the NBA season.

Currently, they have the best record in the Eastern Conference and second-best in the league, only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Unlike the Bulls, Detroit has a star player headlining its roster in Cade Cunningham, but another star player could put them over the edge.

If Detroit does not believe young big men like Jalen Duren will take the next step toward stardom, adding Davis could definitely be a move they make.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves have silently been trying to add another star player next to Anthony Edwards, and Anthony Davis could be a perfect fit.

While there are rumors of a possible Ja Morant trade to Minnesota (if the Grizzlies’ guard gets moved), it’s not viewed as likely at the moment, meaning Davis could be a nice fallback option.

Guys like Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert have been reliable, but can only get you so far in the wild West.

While AD does have injury concerns, he’s a top player in the sport when healthy and would immediately make the Timberwolves better.

Milwaukee Bucks

There is one, and only one way that I see this being a possibility, but I’m going to talk about it anyways.

We know that Dallas wants to go in a different direction and build a team around Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg, but they’ve also secretly been a team that’s interested in one man on the Bucks.

That man is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has begun meeting with Milwaukee about his future with the team.

Now hear me out, it’s pretty unlikely that Dallas is the team that trades for Giannis, but if they do, Anthony Davis would all but certainly headline the return package back to Milwaukee.

Dallas would kill two birds with one stone here by moving on from Davis while adding one of the best players in the league at the same time.

Oklahoma City Thunder

I can just picture every reader rolling their eyes, because why would the Thunder need Anthony Davis on their team?

The truth is that they don’t, which makes them all the more interesting a candidate.

Think about what I said, they don’t need Anthony Davis, but the reality of the situation is that OKC has more assets than any other team has to offer.

The point I’m trying to make is that if Oklahoma City got involved in the AD sweepstakes, they would guarantee the star player joins the Thunder because no other team would be able to out-bid them.

OKC can offer one or two depth guys, and however many picks Dallas wants, add Davis to their already stacked lineup, and maximize their dynasty for even longer.

Will they do it? Probably not, but it sure is interesting to think about.

Adam Pietrzak is a fifth-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email app5940@psu.edu