Anthony Davis injury update, Mavericks
Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots a free throw against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at Ball Arena on December 01, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
The Atlanta Hawks’ flirtation with a franchise-altering move for Anthony Davis has hit a familiar wall — and that wall has less to do with Dallas than it does with Atlanta itself.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, there is currently no traction between the Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks on any potential deal involving the 10-time All-Star center.
“There is no meaningful traction at the moment, league sources say, in trade talks between Atlanta and Dallas on an Anthony Davis swap,” Stein wrote Sunday in The Stein Line.
That reality tempers what had become one of the league’s most intriguing hypothetical trade scenarios: a bold Hawks swing for Davis designed to reset a franchise drifting toward uncertainty.
Why Anthony Davis Would Represent a Franchise-Altering Gamble
Davis remains one of the league’s most impactful two-way forces when healthy, but he also represents an enormous financial and strategic commitment.
The 32-year-old is owed more than $58 million next season and holds a player option for nearly $63 million in 2027–28, making him one of the most expensive stars in the league. For a Hawks organization historically resistant to the luxury tax, absorbing that salary would require not just courage — but coordination.
Stein reported that Atlanta’s willingness to take on Davis’ contract hinges almost entirely on whether the team can find a trade market for Trae Young.
“Atlanta’s willingness to absorb Davis’ salary could well depend on its ability to find a new home via trade for Trae Young,” Stein wrote. “Shipping out multiple expiring contracts in a theoretical Davis deal would be very, very pricey for the Hawks.”
Simply put, a Davis trade without a Young trade would be financially suffocating.
Trae Young’s Uncertain Future Is the Real Deadline Variable
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GettyAtlanta Hawks star Trae Young finds himself in the trade rumors.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Hawks are more open than ever to discussing Young’s future — not because they want to move him, but because circumstances may force their hand.
“League sources say the Hawks… are more open to discussing deals for him than ever,” Amick reported on Dec.31. “Yet with Young’s market widely considered minimal, it remains entirely possible that the Hawks will have to handle his situation in the summertime.”
Young, 27, can opt out of his contract this summer, walking away from Atlanta for nothing. That reality was created when the Hawks declined to offer him a contract extension — a decision that has fueled months of speculation.
“The Hawks’ choice not to give Young an extension opened the door for all of this chatter,” Amick wrote. “As one rival scout put it, ‘Trae is an extremely difficult player to win at the highest level with.’”
That quote may be harsh, but it reflects a growing league perception that Young’s ball-dominant style complicates roster construction at the championship level.
Why the Hawks Are at a Crossroads
The Hawks are 17–10, but they sit 10th in the Eastern Conference and have won just two of their last 10 games. The standings reflect a team stuck between identities — too talented to rebuild, too inconsistent to contend.
The Eastern Conference is unusually open beyond Detroit, New York and Boston. That openness tempts Atlanta toward aggression.
But aggression without clarity is a risk.