Hawks among teams 'most interested' in Anthony Davis

Trade season in the NBA is heating up, and for the first time in decades, it feels like the Hawks are legitimately positioned to swing a blockbuster deal if they choose to.

The two marquee names most frequently mentioned are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis. If the Bucks were to officially make Antetokounmpo available — or if he were to request a trade — the entire league would be lining up with offers. To this point, neither of those things has happened. While Milwaukee would be wise to seriously consider the best packages on the table, they’ve been down this road before and have consistently chosen to hold onto the two-time MVP. Nobody should be shocked if that’s once again the outcome as the trade deadline approaches.

Anthony Davis, on the other hand, feels far more attainable. The market for him isn’t nearly as aggressive, largely due to his injury history and contract structure, which creates a more realistic entry point for a team like Atlanta, an organization that does not typically have the ability to attract superstar players.

“The teams most interested to date, according to league sources, are Toronto and Atlanta,” NBA insider Jake Fischer reported for The Stein Line on Tuesday. However, he did note that getting a deal done is going to be complicated.

“Beyond the well-known fact that the Hawks have zero intention to make the 2026 first-round pick coming their way from New Orleans available, I’m not hearing much optimism at the moment that Atlanta can get anywhere near a package that would tempt Dallas,” Fischer continues. “The Hawks can really only make a credible bid for a high-salaried player by parting with Trae Young or Kristaps Porziņģis. On top of the ongoing uncertainty regarding Porziņģis’ battle with illness, I don’t see Young as a target for the Mavericks. Not when they remain committed to Kyrie Irving.”

Despite the Hawks’ unwillingness to part ways with their 2026 first-round pick (most favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee) — and they absolutely should not be entertaining the idea of moving it for an aging, injury-prone Anthony Davis — Atlanta still has plenty of assets that would appeal to the Mavericks. One of Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, or Onyeka Okongwu could headline any deal, and the Hawks also have a surplus of future first-round selections they could include.

The bigger issue is Anthony Davis’ health, and whether the Hawks would be comfortable paying that kind of price for a player who has consistently dealt with nagging injuries throughout his career and has appeared in just 11 of the Mavericks’ 27 games this season. Dallas, at the moment, does not currently view Davis as a salary dump, posturing as a team willing to hold onto him unless a deal they deem worthwhile comes across the table.