Hawks trade proposal brings Anthony Davis to blockbuster Mavericks

The Atlanta Hawks have become a popular hypothetical trade destination for superstar talent that might become available. Giannis Antetokounmpo, amid the turmoil of the Milwaukee Bucks, has often been linked to the Hawks. But with a bombshell from Shams Charania in recent days stating that The Dallas Mavericks will indeed explore the trade market for Anthony DavisThe Hawks get the luxury of a pick.

Davis would cost less than Antetokounmpo in a trade due to a combination of factors. He’s older, more injury-prone, and generally a big risk for an up-and-coming team like the Hawks. That makes him a less attractive trade target, but the Hawks might play it safer if they pursue Davis instead.

Regardless, the Hawks will have competition for Davis’ services, with teams like the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors expected to throw their hat in the ring for the Mavericks big man. Moreover, they may not want to mess with their current roster because they have the luxury of waiting Tree Young’s return from a knee injury let’s see how well the team will perform at full strength.

But this exercise is meant to analyze what kind of package it would take for the Hawks to part with Davis and whether it would pay off for them.

Hawks trade package for Anthony Davis

Hawks trade: Trae Young, Zachary Rizacher, Luke Kennard, 2027 first-round pick (up from NOP/MIL)

Mavericks Trade: Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Max Christie

If the Mavericks were to trade Davis, they might prefer to get a package filled with young players and draft picks. Trading him would mean Dallas is turning bigger a youth movement built around Cooper Flagg. But there are also many merits in remaining semi-competitive.

To begin with, The Mavericks are not in control of their first round picks from 2027 to 2031. While this gives them room to pick well this season, they will have to put up competitive seasons over the next five years to avoid passing up good picks to teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs — teams that don’t need any further help in the roster building process.

This makes the package the Hawks would offer above that much more attractive. It’s kind of poetic that Young would head to the Mavericks in a trade tree that can be traced back to himself (Young was traded in the draft for Luka Doncic, who was then traded for Davis, who would then be traded for Young in this scenario).

While Young isn’t a superstar like Doncic, he helps solve many of the Mavericks’ point guard problems. now, when Kyrie Irving returnsThe Mavs will find themselves in a pickle. But Young will always retain a healthy chunk of his trade value, meaning Dallas can always trade him for more pieces if they decide to commit their future to Irving instead.

But Irving is already 33 years old and coming off a torn ACL. There’s no way the Mavs would want to select Irving over Young in a scenario where they’d want to walk a fine line between staying competitive and developing their young players. Young would then function similar to Doncic’s role in which he commands much of the offense, and Dallas should still have a roster filled with underutilized, non-ball-dominant players who could then thrive under Young’s captaincy.

Regardless, getting Young as the centerpiece of any Davis trade would mean the Mavericks would be content not getting much draft compensation. Young gets so much disrespect today, but he’s a durable 25-10 player who can make his teammates get the best of them.

Trading Young away will not sit well with Hawks fans, and understandably so. The Hawks, without Young, are fair outside the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ranks. Young’s return would be a loss for their defense given how solid Dyson Daniels and Nikhil Alexander-Walker have been, but he relieves so much of the burden on both Alexander-Walker and Johnson on the offensive end that Atlanta’s ceiling is so much higher with their stellar backcourt.

But this Hawks team is turning to a more defensive identity, and Davis’ presence would allow them to play big lineups that can outscore the opposition.

Others could float trade ideas that include Kristaps Porzingis as the centerpiece of a package headed to Dallas. But the Mavericks would simply stick with Davis if that were the case. Porzingis is saddled with a chronic illness that requires him to miss games from time to time, and his contract is expiring. He also won’t be staying in Dallas, given his history with the team.

There’s also no way the Hawks part with the New Orleans Pelicans’ 2026 first-round pick; they are still one of the worst teams in the league.

Instead, the Hawks’ trade package for Young will be Zachary Rizacher and Luke Kennard, as well as a 2027 first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks or New Orleans Pelicans. That 2027 draft pick could be another high lottery pick even though that pick is worse than any team.

Risacher wasn’t very good in his second season, and at this point, he doesn’t look like a future star. But the Mavericks should want him in any trade scenario to possibly try to turn another former first overall pick into a true franchise cornerstone. Kennard is simply there to make wages work.

Klay Thompson and Max Christie are coming to Atlanta with Davis. Christie has shown excellent two-way, 3-and-D play, and will be an invaluable member of the Hawks’ rotation. Thompson is a battle-tested sniper who could help the Hawks make a deep playoff run.

With Porzingis staying in Atlanta, the Hawks can run a starting lineup of Daniels, Alexander-Walker, Johnson, Davis and Porzingis, with Onyeka Okongwu, Christie, Thompson, Mo Gueye and Vit Krejci rounding out the rotation. It can be a headache for the team to deal with.