NBA trade season is officially off and running, and the Dallas Mavericks might be the next team to get involved with basketball's biggest in-season swap meet. Anthony Davis' days in Dallas appear numbered, and the (now Trae Young-less) Atlanta Hawks just so happen to view Davis "as a prime in-season trade target," per ESPN's Shams Charania.
The one possible hang-up here is compensation. The Hawks have indicated a hesitation (if not an outright refusal) to part with 2024's No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher in a Davis deal, but the Mavericks must demand the 20-year-old's swingman involvement. They need another building block to slot alongside budding centerpiece Cooper Flagg, and Risacher might be perfect for the role.
The Anthony Davis trade offer that the Mavs couldn't refuse
Despite being a 10-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree, Davis is hardly drowning in trade value. Not with a detailed injury history behind him, his 33rd birthday fast approaching, and some colossal checks coming his way soon.
In other words, if you're a Mavs fan hoping that the Hawks' interest in him might result in Dallas prying away that uber-valuable, more-favorable first heading to Atlanta from either Milwaukee or New Orleans, you're bound to be disappointed. That'd be the kind of request that gets the Mavs both immediately hung up on and then blocked shortly thereafter.
Risacher is a more realistic aim. It's still a bit ambitious given what's been reported, but if Atlanta envisions Davis as the proverbial missing piece—and it very well might given the lack of a Goliath looming over the East—Risacher would seem like a strange sticking point. He is solid, young, and tools-y, sure, but even the most optimistic reads on his career trajectory have trouble eclipsing the stardom threshold.
Plus, if the Hawks shortened their focus, since a deal for Davis would clearly qualify as a win-now attempt, they might see just as much on-court value (if not a bit more) in Marshall than Risacher. Marshall's counting categories are fuller, his shooting rates from the field and the stripe are higher, and he's a good deal ahead in estimated plus/minus (64th percentile to Risacher's 39th, per Dunks & Threes).
There are reasons to believe Atlanta might budge off its stance on Risacher, then. And, frankly, Dallas should only entertain talks for Davis if that's the case. His trade value might be murky, but there's enough interest for the Mavs to play hardball here.
They need young talent to help them navigate their Flagg-focused future, and Risacher provides exactly that. He is, at the very least, an intriguing scenery-change candidate. As long as he's in Atlanta, he'll face the star-level expectations that come along with being an organization's first overall pick. Plus, the Hawks haven't really been able to prioritize his growth, because they're chasing competitiveness and have other young talent to cultivate.
Things would be different in Dallas. He could grow at his own rate with Flagg absorbing all of the spotlight, and the Mavs presumably presumably embracing his growing pains as they put more attention on the 2026 draft (the last one in which they'll control their first-round pick until 2031).
Risacher is a helpful, versatile defender, and his play-finishing should make him a snug fit alongside a creator of Flagg's ilk. Not to mention, the rest of this deal would also help Dallas' future. Porzingis and Kennard would bring near-instant financial relief, as both are playing on expiring salaries that combine for more than $41 million. And the draft pick, which could come from a lot of places, offers another throw at the dart board.
This is the kind of trade that a franchise following the lead of a dynamic 19-year-old freshman should make 11 times out of 10. And the Mavericks figure to be ready to pounce the second the Hawks soften their stance on Risacher.