Three teams are reportedly expected to be in the running for 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis. The Atlanta Hawks are on that short list.
Atlanta's rumored interest in Davis, a dream target for this team, was reported by ESPN's Shams Charania. The Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors were the other likely suitors listed by Charania.
The Hawks arguably have the strongest asset collection of the three, but a deal for Davis would only make sense if Atlanta could get him at a relative discount. And between his injury history and the future financial commitments to him, there are reasons to believe the Hawks could make it happen. Here's how such a deal might take shape.
Davis isn't worth Atlanta's best trade chips, but the Hawks would still have to give up a few good ones to get him.
If Atlanta made an aggressive—but not all-in—deal for Davis, it could blow the roof off of its realistic best-case scenarios for this season.
He could enhance the defensive identity this team has forged without injured star guard Trae Young and up the offensive potency upon the floor general's return. Not to mention, a win-now trade for Davis would almost certainly signal a long-term commitment coming for Young, who holds a $49 million player option for next season.
Adding Davis would give this young, exciting group a clear direction. When the young Hawks couldn't soar in transition, a prolific Young-Davis pick-and-roll attack would guide the half-court offense. On defense, Davis would anchor what's already one of the NBA's most disruptive units. And Atlanta could absolutely use his hulking presence since it hasn't fared great on the glass or around the basket.
If you're wondering why a player as decorated as Davis who could check off this many boxes might be available at such a seemingly low price, let's explain.
For starters, availability has become a constant question mark. He has only appeared in 10 of his team's 25 games so far this season and only cleared the 60-game mark once since 2019-20. If he isn't playing, he obviously isn't impacting the game like a star, but he'd still be paid at a star rate: $54.1 million this season, $58.8 million the next and a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28, per Spotrac.
As Charania detailed, Davis can also become extension-eligible next offseason, meaning there's a chance his contract cost could keep climbing. The Hawks obviously wouldn't have to pay him this much, but he could sign for up four years and $275 million. If they came in too far beneath that number, there's a chance he might wind up walking as an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
That's just a colossal amount of cash for someone who's had trouble staying upright, especially in the NBA's apron era. That said, the financial part of the deal is also why the trade cost isn't so significant.
The Dallas Mavericks, who seemingly have to reset their roster around top pick Cooper Flagg, would view Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard as simply expiring salaries. While that would help with financial flexibility, the only things they'd really add a lightly protected (but still protected) first-round pick in a draft that's not well-regarded and Asa Newell, this year's 23rd pick who's had trouble cracking Atlanta's rotation.
That's not nothing, but it's also not what you'd normally expect could reel in a player who, when healthy, is a perennial candidate for both All-NBA and All-Defensive recognition.
That, more than anything, should be the incentive for Atlanta here. If Davis is obtainable without costing Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, or that juicy 2026 first-round pick the Hawks are getting from the Bucks or the Pelicans, that's a move this franchise should make 11 times out of 10.