Trae Young Trade Rumors, Latest on Mavs, Nets, Hawks Talks Amid Anthony Davis Buzz
The Dallas Mavericks "don't have an appetite" to acquire guard Trae Young in a trade involving star big man Anthony Davis, according to The Athletic's Christian Clark and Sam Amick.
NBA insider Jake Fischer and the New York Post's Brian Lewis reported the Brooklyn Nets have a similar stance.
According to Fischer, Young's representatives cited the Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves as "two attractive potential destinations." Neither team is chasing him at this point.
The Nets are 11-22 and on track to miss the playoffs for the third straight year. They're yet to signal a willingness to make a big trade before the Feb. 5 deadline, per Fischer.
Clark and Amick reported the Hawks have shown interest in Davis but don't consider it financially feasible to pair him and Young together.
Davis makes $54.1 million this season and has a $58.5 million salary for 2026-27, while Young counts for $46 million and has a $49 million player option for next season.
Building a roster around Davis and Young would've made more sense a few years ago. AD would've been in his prime, and committing nearly $100 million to two players was more manageable under the old collective bargaining agreement.
In 2026, the Hawks can't convince themselves they'd have a championship formula with Davis and Young at the fore.
From Dallas' standpoint, acquiring Young doesn't make a lot of sense, either, when it signed Kyrie Irving to a three-year, $118.4 million contract.
The Mavs have a clear short-term need at point guard because Irving is still recovering from a torn ACL. But the nine-time All-Star will return eventually — probably next season.
How would a backcourt with Young and Irving work?
Even in a scenario where the Mavs trade Irving and make Young the starting point guard, that's not a huge upgrade. Dallas would be exchanging one dynamic scorer and playmaker who's a defensive liability for another dynamic scorer and playmaker who's a defensive liability, albeit one who's six years younger.
The Athletic's Sam Vecenie floated a three-team swap that puts Davis in Atlanta and Young on the Washington Wizards. The Mavs, for their part, netted a return that included 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and the Hawks' 2032 first-round pick.
Flipping Davis for that kind of package would align better with orienting the franchise around rookie forward Cooper Flagg.
However, Clark and Amick threw cold water on that idea when they reported the Hakws "have pushed back strongly on reports that they might be willing to include [Risacher] in any Davis deal."
In general, it's tough to see how Dallas and Atlanta work out a structure that involves both Davis and Young.
