The Atlanta Hawks do not need Anthony Davis.
Davis is one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history and still remains an elite option at the center position. If healthy, he would instantly solve the Hawks’ biggest problems and help lead the team to a respectable playoff finish. Still, he carries far too much risk for a team as young and promising as Atlanta to risk acquiring him.
An unfortunate truth about Davis is that he is one of the most injury-prone players in the league. The Hawks already have a health headache on their hands with Kristaps Porzingis, and the marginal upgrade in injury resistance from Davis to Porzingis would be negligible. Atlanta would have to accept that his chances of playing in the playoffs are a crapshoot, and he is almost guaranteed to miss critical regular-season time.
Davis is currently receiving treatment for a hand injury. Reports first surfaced that he could miss “months,” with the Dallas big man seeking a second medical opinion. Shams Charania then reported that Davis would indeed receive surgery and miss extended time, but this was incorrect.
While reporting now indicates that Davis could return midseason, the timing of this injury raises the question of whether taking on this risk would be a positive change regardless of his individual quality.
Davis’s injury record isn’t his worst attribute as a trade piece
Davis is on a three-year, $175 million contract. It would be downright reckless for Atlanta to acquire any 32-year-old on this contract, particularly one who isn’t a true superstar and consistently misses time.
The Hawks’ theme of the season is “optionality” – GM Onsi Saleh’s favorite word. To provide an analogy, optionality is to front offices what versatility is to players.
Saleh wants the ability to pivot at any given moment until this team’s core is finalized. While there is no timeline on when the Hawks will solidify their core, their 2026 draft will help answer this question. The team could get lucky and land the first overall pick, or they could drop as low as 10 in a truly worst-case scenario. From there, Saleh will have a better understanding of what this team needs (and one more draft pick to trade).
This isn't just talk; Saleh has put his money where his mouth is in his brief tenure. He dumped Trae Young’s salary to create more cap space this offseason, and he even sent a first round pick to convert Terance Mann’s three-year contract into an expiring Kristaps Porzingis. The only long-term contracts he acquired were Corey Kispert, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Dyson Daniels – three younger players whose deals were applauded for their low price tag.
Trading for Davis would be foolish for any GM, and Saleh’s insistence on maximizing optionality only makes reports of a possible trade more confusing. The Hawks are in a great spot right now; they just need to remain patient. A blockbuster Davis trade would gamble all of Saleh’s hard work on the performance of a declining, overpaid, and injury-prone player.