The Atlanta Hawks are sending Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. In doing so, they are effectively removing themselves from the Anthony Davis trade sweepstakes once and for all.
Talks between Atlanta and the Dallas Mavericks reportedly hit a stalemate over the Hawks’ reluctance to include 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccahrie Risacher. A deal is still possible. Initially, it seemed even more feasible following Trae-to-Washington buzz. And for what it's worth, Charania still believes Atlanta will be in on AD:
Moving Young also provides Atlanta with added financial flexibility to pursue a large salary over the next several months – with Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis as a prime in-season trade target.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2026
Yet, when you look at the package the Hawks accepted for Trae, it suggests the exact opposite.
The Hawks are running out of ways to trade for AD
Taking back CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert saves the Hawks about $1.4 million in salary, leaving them around $6.8 million under the luxury tax. That wiggle room is important. History suggests Atlanta won’t cross the luxury-tax threshold. That must be baked into any subsequent trade for AD.
Acquiring him without entering the tax is now virtually impossible if the Hawks don’t put Risacher on the table. Sure, a package built around Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard, and a smaller salary such as N’Faly Dante, Mo Gueye, or Asa Newell works. But it entails Atlanta taking on, at minimum, more than $9 million in additional salary, and cannonballing into the tax.
Sidestepping this difference by including McCollum or Kispert is a no-go. Neither can be traded alongside other players prior to the February 5 deadline.
Reasonable alternative paths are hard to find. Using Dyson Daniels for AD salary-matching is too complicated after he signed his extension. He counts as just $7.7 million in outgoing money for Atlanta, but as $21.5 million in incoming money for his next team.
Onyeka Okongwu or Nickeil-Alexander Walker could be subbed in for Kennard as part of any Davis package…if Atlanta’s front office temporarily lost all sense of rationality. The goal of an AD trade should be to augment the core already in place, rather than substantially knife into it.
Atlanta has other ways to acquire Anthony Davis, but…
Anyone who really wants the Hawks to land Davis needn’t fret. Not yet, anyway. They have other avenues to explore.
Turning any trade with the Wizards into a three-team deal that ropes in the Mavs is one way to go. It would allow the Hawks to reroute McCollum or Kispert to Dallas, and then remain beneath the tax. Based on the initial reporting, though, it doesn't seem like this is on the table.
Atlanta can always suss out a separate trade, in which it deals McCollum or Kispert on his own for a cheaper player who saves them enough money to stay out of the tax after landing AD. Heck, the Hawks could even enter the tax on a temporary basis. They have until the end of June to exit it.
None of this seems especially likely, though. If the Hawks were serious about landing AD, they would consider including Risacher, or insisted on saving more money in the Trae Young deal. By doing neither of those things, they’re sending a clear message: landing Davis is not a real priority.