The Best 5 Anthony Davis Landing Spots and Trade Ideas

After hearing Tuesday that Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis would likely need surgery to repair his injured hand, news broke that the operation wasn't necessary, changing his timeline from "several months" to a re-evaluation in six weeks.

Still, while you might think that report coming about a month shy of the trade deadline would effectively end his trade candidacy, ESPN's Shams Charania kept the door open a crack.

Which teams might fit the definition laid out by Charania above? Who's close enough to contention, can afford to let Davis recover and would still benefit by having him on the roster in the spring and summer?

We dive into the possibilities below.

5. Milwaukee Bucks

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Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., Andre Jackson Jr. and first-round pick swaps in 2031 and 2032

The first thing fans may have to come to terms with is this new NBA reality we're living in for star trades.

Players like AD and Ja Morant may go for more than the Washington Wizards gave up for Trae Young (two rotation players and no picks), but probably not much more.

In Davis' case, teams that are interested would be taking on a deeply distressed asset. Beyond being on the shelf right now, Davis has struggled with availability throughout his career. He turns 33 in March. His game, particularly on offense, doesn't really fit in today's league. He doesn't shoot or pass well enough to be a huge help on that end. And when you're paying someone over $50 million in each season through 2027-28 (when he has a player option), you want a huge help on the offensive end.

Frankly, given all of the above, it's kind of hard to justify the Milwaukee Bucks going for Davis at all. But they may be driven by desperation.

Giannis Antetokounmpo recently told The Athletic that he wouldn't ask for a trade, but he qualified those comments by saying his agent may do something else, and that he might change his mind as quickly as he changes his mind on the way he likes his eggs.

If Milwaukee wants to continue with Giannis as its cornerstone, his public comments over the last few years almost certainly put some pressure on the organization to keep expending assets well into the red.

This deal does exactly that, while giving the Bucks a thoroughly old school but massive front line.

Of course, a starting five with Giannis at small forward, AD at power forward and Myles Turner could be a nightmare for opposing offenses. And on raw talent alone, assuming Davis is back for the postseason, it would have a chance to make some noise in the East.

4. Los Angeles Clippers

John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanović, Derrick Jones Jr., Chris Paul and first-round pick swaps in 2031 and 2032

After a disastrous start to the 2025-26 campaign, Kawhi Leonard activated 2019 playoffs mode and has dragged the Los Angeles Clippers back into play-in range.

And with a bunch of mid-size, movable contracts, they actually have a decent shot at getting in on the AD sweepstakes.

Injuries (and in Chris Paul's case, a lack of continuity with the team and coaching staff) have already kept three of these outgoing Clippers out of the rotation for most of this season. So, this mostly boils down to John Collins and those far-flung pick swaps for Davis.

And though he wouldn't be back until the postseason, a trio of James Harden, Leonard and Davis could be a tough out in the postseason.

For Dallas, this deal (like the Milwaukee one) gets them out of the AD extension business. That, in itself, has some value. There's also a lot more flexibility with the incoming contracts than there is with Davis'. Collins is the highest-paid Clipper here, and his contract expires this summer.

The biggest get, though, is those pick swaps. And honestly, it might be hard to extract even one of those from L.A.

3. Chicago Bulls

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Nikola Vučević, Patrick Williams, Jevon Carter and first-round picks swaps in 2031 and 2032 for Anthony Davis

The Mavericks might insist on even more draft capital in this deal, since they'd be agreeing to take on the rest of Patrick Williams' deal (which runs through 2028-29, when he has a player option for $18 million).

But outside of that potential, this is actually pretty good value for Dallas, which would be getting Nikola Vučević and Jevon Carter on expiring deals.

That would give the Mavs significantly more flexibility to build around Cooper Flagg and (presumably) another lottery pick from the upcoming draft.

For Bulls fans who are frustrated with their team hovering around the middle of the East for so long, this deal probably isn't all that exciting. Davis doesn't instantly turn them into contenders, but Josh Giddey would spoon-feed him open looks at the rim. And he's obviously a far better defender than Vuč.

At the very least, Davis would give Chicago much more of a chance to finally land on the right side of the play-in range.

2. Toronto Raptors

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Brandon Ingram, Jakob Poeltl, Garrett Temple and a top-3 protected 2031 first-round pick for Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell

The first thing you may notice with this package is the fact that the Toronto Raptors are sending a straight-up pick (as opposed to a pick swap), and that's because the players heading back to Dallas don't offer anywhere near as much flexibility as those in the previous deals.

Brandon Ingram's mid-range heavy, and at times, ball-stoppy, game isn't a great fit with Flagg. And he's under contract through 2027-28. Jakob Poeltl's lack of ability to stretch the floor, not to mention the fact that Dallas already has Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, make him a weird fit, too.

But again, given all the factors weighing down Davis' individual trade value, Dallas would probably be wise to entertain anything with a mostly unencumbered pick.

For the Raptors, this trade would leave them with a potentially crowded offense, but the defensive potential of lineups with Davis and Scottie Barnes would be immense.

1. Atlanta Hawks

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Kristaps Porziņģis, Zaccharie Risacher and a 2031 first-round pick swap for Anthony Davis

Following the Young trade, there's a pretty good argument for the Atlanta Hawks to sort of slow-play a build around Jalen Johnson. The roster, as is, features tons of defensive versatility and athleticism. And Johnson looks like a bona fide star.

But Kristaps Porziņģis is already, basically, a part-time player. Swapping him for a recovering AD wouldn't cost the Hawks rotation a ton of minutes in the front court.

And though Dallas would still have to see some upside in former first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher for this deal to make sense, he hasn't shown a ton of it in Atlanta.

This framework would allow the Hawks to enter a playoff series with (assuming Davis' recovery timeline allows) lineups including AD, Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The defensive potential there is massive.

And for the Mavericks, though Risacher hasn't put up big numbers with the Hawks, his theoretical three-and-D game fits Flagg's. And he's still just 20 years old. Those two would have plenty of time to develop together on the wings.