The door on a potential Anthony Davis trade to the Golden State Warriors may have just been shut, with Trae Young heading to the Washington Wizards in the NBA's first major deal ahead of the February 5 deadline.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Wizards are sending veteran guard CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Young, with no draft picks involved on either side.
Trae Young trade may have just shut the door on Warriors-Anthony Davis move
While Young's contract and defensive liabilities certainly diminished his trade market, this still feels a mediocre return for a player of his calibre. The 4x All-Star has averaged 19.3 points and 8.9 assists so far in 2025-26, having posted 24.2 points and a league-leading 11.6 assists per game last season.
Given the return seems more like Atlanta simply getting off Young's contract, it will surely bring plenty of discussion on what their next move is after being strongly linked to a Davis trade in the past fortnight. Multiple outlets had reported that the Hawks, as a team often unwilling to go deep into the tax, weren't willing to have both Young and Davis on their roster.
Therefore this Young deal has to increase the chances of a Davis trade taking place, with the Hawks able to keep McCollum and Kispert, while forming a package primarily around Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kennard and draft capital.
BREAKING: The Atlanta Hawks are trading four-time NBA All-Star Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/WIf8rhrRFu
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 8, 2026
The Warriors have also been a team linked to Davis, with The Athletic reporting on Wednesday that the franchise hadn't completely shut the door on the 10x All-Star, though they would have to change their stance on moving on from Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler.
If Golden State don't shut the door themselves, Atlanta might do it for them with a deal for Davis before the Warriors are even eligible to trade Jonathan Kuminga next week. The 23-year-old forward would undoubtedly be part of a deal alongside potentially Green and one of Buddy Hield or Moses Moody, with the Mavericks reportedly holding interest in Kuminga and having had approached the Warriors about a Davis trade.
The 19-18 Warriors quite clearly need a big move to resuscitate a season that doesn't appear to be going anywhere right now. While Davis would come with risk given his lengthy injury history, his two-way impact on the interior could catapult the franchise into a dangerous threat if things broke right.