According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, the Dallas Mavericks are hoping to pry the Pelicans first-round pick away from the Hawks prior to the trade deadline.
“I can tell you with certainty, that the Mavericks have been trying to pry away that New Orleans Pelicans pick away from the Hawks, for some time now,” Mannix reports. “That has been on the mind of the Mavericks’ front office for some time now.”
Now, this report isn’t much different than Chris Mannix saying the Mavericks are hoping to land Steph Curry in a trade for Anthony Davis. Several NBA insiders have already reported that the Hawks are not interested in moving the pick they acquired from the Pelicans during this year’s NBA Draft, a selection that is projected to land inside the top five of what many are calling a historic draft class.
“The team with the worst record is guaranteed a top-five pick,” Kevin O’Connor writes for Yahoo! Sports. “The second-worst record is guaranteed a top-six pick. The third-worst record is guaranteed a top-seven pick. And right now, the Wizards, Pacers, and Nets are winning that race, each with 1-10 records. Finishing with the fifth, sixth or seventh pick might seem unappealing in most draft classes. But this 2026 draft class is quite different. It could be historic.
“All the attention is on Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU wing AJ Dybantsa and Duke power forward Cam Boozer, but this draft class is about more than them. Players like North Carolina power forward Caleb Wilson, Tennessee wing Nate Ament and Louisville guard Mikel Brown could push for the top 3. Meaning, there are at least six players who a team would happily draft with a top-two or -three pick in almost any other year. It is undoubtedly the best class since the NBA flattened the odds in 2019 to actually lose on lottery night.”
There’s nothing the Mavericks could offer, unless they are willing to part ways with budding superstar Cooper Flagg, that should force the Hawks to even consider moving that pick under any circumstance.
Atlanta and Dallas have been linked in the lead-up to the trade deadline regarding ten-time All-Star Anthony Davis. The Hawks have been dubbed a “real-deal suitor” for the big man, and the Mavericks appear open for business as they start to transition into a new era. However, an aging and hobbled Anthony Davis is not going to command a potential top-five pick in next year’s draft.
That’s not a conversation that would even be entertained by the Hawks front office.
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Photo: Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire
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