Mavericks' fuse on a no-brainer Anthony Davis trade was just lit

Despite Anthony Davis exiting the Dallas Mavericks' Christmas Day game with a groin injury, reports of the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors registering interest in Davis have only started to heat up.

While Dallas isn't too interested in Golden State's potential return package, the Hawks' package could be far more lucrative, likely including 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, expiring contracts, future draft capital, and other young players.

Though Atlanta would be unwilling to include Trae Young in such a deal, the Mavericks couldn't refuse this deal from the Hawks if it came their way. Davis had his most dominant stretch of the season before getting injured on Christmas, and while early signs aren't saying he'll be out for long, things could easily go haywire if he gets re-injured or his recovery takes longer than expected.

Mavericks must take this rumored Anthony Davis trade offer from Hawks

Dallas still has over two months to get a deal done with Davis if they want to go that route, which is starting to seem more likely after losing five of their last seven games, and Atlanta easily has one of the best asset pools in the league if Dallas wants to deal with them directly. The Hawks are currently 10th in the East and have vastly underperformed from expectations at 15-18, so trading for Davis would make sense if they want to propel themselves into the playoff race.

The Mavericks would likely take back Kristaps Porzingis in this deal, as Porzingis has been dealing with a scary illness dating back to last season, and hasn't been on the court enough to be the defensive anchor Atlanta envisioned, hence why the Hawks would want Davis. However, what makes this deal irrefutable for the Mavericks isn't Porzingis, as Risacher is the real blue-chip prospect the Mavericks would wish to get back in this deal.

Despite the 2024 NBA Draft class being critiqued as one of the weaker classes in recent memory, Risacher was the No. 1 pick for a reason, as he's a solid defender with great athleticism, a great cutter, an improving outside shooter, and a guy who can create his own offense on occasion. Risacher's efficiency has dipped a little this season, but he still has tons of potential at only 20 years old, and could definitely blossom into Cooper Flagg's co-star one day if things pan out right.

So long as Atlanta would also be willing to throw in a first-round pick or two in a prospective Davis trade, it'd be very hard for the Mavericks to refuse such a deal. Even fans who want to see Davis stay in Dallas and get the chance to play with Kyrie Irving cannot deny that Dallas would be hard-pressed to get a better pool of young talent from any other team in the league.

The Hawks are likely only willing to part ways with a recent No. 1 pick in Risacher due to the sheer amount of talented young wings on their roster, as well as Porzingis' health woes, so the Mavericks need to pounce on this trade if Atlanta is as intrigued as it seems.