Giannis Antetokounmpo will grab all of the headlines leading up to the trade deadline, as the Bucks mull over his future with the organization, but he’s not the only superstar that will be dangled on the market. With the Mavericks continuing to spiral downward since their decision to trade Luka Doncic, ten-time All-Star Anthony Davis is also garnering trade interest, with the Atlanta Hawks among the potential suitors, according to Shams Charania.
“Anthony Davis of the Dallas Mavericks, another former NBA champion, is expected to be a critical trade target of several teams, including many of the East’s contenders,” Charania writes. “The Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors are expected to be suitors for Davis, league sources told ESPN.
“The Mavericks are open to exploring the trade markets for Davis, center Daniel Gaffordand guards Klay Thompson and D’Angelo Russell, sources said. Davis’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, has met with Mavericks interim co-general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi, and requested clarity about whether the franchise wants to extend Davis in the offseason or trade him ahead of the deadline. Finley and Riccardi accepted the message and stated the franchise wants to keep its options open and view how the team plays for the next few weeks. They have not ruled out the possibility of an extension.”
Anthony Davis has been one of the premier two-way bigs in the NBA for more than a decade and is signed through the 2026–2027 season. His defensive presence around the rim is exactly what the Hawks are missing, and it becomes even more valuable once Trae Young returns from injury. The asking price also wouldn’t come close to what it would take to land Antetokounmpo. The risk, of course, is health.
Davis is one of the most injury-prone superstars in the league. He’s played fewer than 57 games in five of the last seven seasons and has already missed more than half of this year, appearing in just 10 games. When healthy, Davis would instantly cement the Hawks as legitimate contenders to win the East. But given the assets it would take to acquire him — and Atlanta’s own recent history of injuries — it would undeniably be a roll of the dice.
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