Proposed Five-Team Trade Would Send Anthony Davis to Atlanta, Trae Young to Sacramento
proposed-five-team-trade-anthony-davis-to-hawks
ESPN writer Kevin Pelton has sketched a complex five-team trade idea that shifts All-Star forward Anthony Davis to the Atlanta Hawks and reconfigures rosters for the Mavericks, Kings, Warriors and Pistons.
Projected terms
Hawks receive: Anthony Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, Devin Carter
Mavericks receive: Zach LaVine; a 2026 first-round pick from Golden State (top-14 protected, otherwise a 2032 second-round pick, selections 31–50); and a 2027 first-round pick via the worse of Milwaukee or New Orleans (top-four protected)
Kings receive: Trae Young, Luke Kennard
Warriors receive: Kristaps Porzingis
Pistons receive: Doug McDermott, cash considerations
Why the deal was constructed
Pelton notes that Atlanta faces significant salary pressure. Acquiring Davis would likely create a sharp payroll spike in 2026-27 unless Trae Young’s contract is moved. A direct swap with Dallas proved impractical without involving Kyrie Irving, leading to the five-team framework.
In the proposal, Dallas sends out Young and brings in LaVine, whose contract is smaller than Davis’s over the next two seasons and fits better alongside Irving. The Mavericks also add two future first-round selections, expanding their trade assets.
For Atlanta, Davis arrives without touching the club’s more coveted pieces, including an unprotected 2026 first-rounder from New Orleans and No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. Sacramento secures a long-term point guard in Young without losing draft capital, while Golden State swaps Kuminga for a stretch big—Porzingis—who matches its play style. Detroit picks up McDermott and cash.
Pelton describes the hypothetical agreement as one of the rare proposals that balances on-court fit, financial ramifications and draft equity for all parties, even though Dallas would run the risk of entering the luxury-tax zone if LaVine exercises a $49 million player option for 2025-26.
Source: Hoops Wire
