The Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors are expected to bid on Davis this season, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. Trade rumors could start heating up this week with Dec. 15 marking when most summer 2025 free agent signings are eligible to be included in deals.
Davis is back in the lineup for the Mavericks after being sidelined with a calf strain for the beginning of this season. He’s had some terrific performances lately, including a 29-point effort in Dallas’ upset win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Davis also scored 32 points and added 13 rebounds in 32 minutes against the Denver Nuggets last week in another win for the Mavs.
There’s no doubting AD’s talent when he’s healthy. He was playing like a top-10 player in the sport last year before the infamous trade that sent him to Dallas for Luka Doncic. The issue with Davis is that he turns 33 in March, he’s famously injury prone, and his contract is enormous. Davis is owed $58.5 million next season for the 2026-27 campaign, and then has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.
The Pistons, Hawks, and Raptors all make sense as potential suitors in the East as the preseason favorites Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks have looked a tad shaky out of the gates. Detroit is running away with the conference right now with a 19-5 record, sitting with the top seed in the East. The Raptors are 15-10, but have lost five of their last six games at time of publication. The Hawks have played well without injured star Trae Young as Jalen Johnson has emerged as the team’s new leader, but they would be out of the top-8 out of East if the season ended today.
Trading for Davis would be a clear sign that Detroit is going for it this year. A consolidation trade makes sense for the Pistons because they have great depth and a big expiring contract to trade with Tobias Harris’ $26 million deal. This trade would work on Dec. 15 with Harris, a first-round pick, Jaden Ivey, and Caris LeVert’s contract going back to Dallas.
The Raptors would need to trade two core players from their current lineup to make a Davis deal work because of his huge salary. Would the Mavs have interest in Brandon Ingram in the first year of a three-year, $120 million that includes a player option for the 2027-28 season? If not, a trade built around Jakob Poeltl, R.J. Barrett, and picks could work on Jan. 15 once Poeltl is eligible to be traded.
The Hawks won’t trade the Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 draft pick in any deal for Davis, but there are still multiple avenues for a trade between the two sides. Would Atlanta include Trae Young in an AD trade? It’s possible, but probably unlikely with a Davis trade signaling that the Hawks would be trying to win the East this season. A deal headlined by Kristaps Porzingis’ expiring contract would work out after Dec. 15.
If Davis is playing at his best, he could immediately become the second-best player in the East this season. That’s a big if, though. It’s hard to see the Mavericks getting a huge haul of picks for the veteran big, but dealing him now to tank makes sense when the team doesn’t control its 2027-2030 first-round draft picks. The Mavericks really need to hit it big in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery — just like every other bad team.
