According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Anthony Davis sweepstakes are beginning to rise as the NBA inches closer and closer to the trade deadline this February 5th.

The Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors, and Milwaukee Bucks have emerged as legit interested teams wanting the one-time NBA champion.

When looking at all these teams, there is a massive con to each side that may prevent them from being able to acquire the two-way big man.

For the Warriors, matching salary is going to be the biggest issue. Not because they physically can’t make it work, but because they are reportedly not budging off Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler. All it would take is to move off one of those two players to match salary, but Golden State isn’t in the business of that currently.

The same can be said for the Bucks, but it’s not a reluctancy of giving up assets, it’s rather a matter of finding any assets to trade to match salaries and that actually compels Dallas to trade him to their organization. Right now, Milwaukee doesn’t even have any draft capital to give the Mavericks.

If Milwaukee can somehow make this work, then they would have the biggest selling point to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay in Milwaukee. They reportedly still fear him potentially wanting to leave the team for a more stable organization.

Toronto actually has the best odds of landing him, in terms of having the right amount of capital and tradable assets for the center. However, Dallas isn’t looking for long-term contracts, which is something the Raptors have a bunch of.

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Atlanta is considering Davis as a “prime time target”. This immediately follows them trading Trae Young to the Washington Wizards. They have expiring contracts they can give up in a deal and the right amount of draft capital to satisfy the Mavericks’ desires.

With acquiring CJ McCollum, and having Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks could leverage them into striking a deal with Dallas to get their center to pair next to Jalen Johnson – the new face of the franchise.

Based solely on this, reportedly, the Hawks would be in the best position to land Anthony Davis. Plus, Davis has shown interest in joining the Hawks.

At this time, it is unclear the direction the Mavericks want to take, along what path Davis wants to pursue. Many different reports are pulling fans and spectators into many different directions.

Despite the growing number of rumors, reports, and speculation regarding the future of the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 31-year-old continues to show loyalty publicly to his organization.

On Thursday, Antetokounmpo has stated he will never request a trade from the Bucks. He has stated he isn’t that type of player, and wants people to fully understand that.

“There will never be a chance, and there will never be a moment, that I will come out and say ‘I want a trade,'” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic. “That’s not … in … my … nature. OK?”

This came as a shock to fans, mainly because he hasn’t been as clear, or direct, in recent months. Every other week it was a new issue, mock trade, or report circling through the internet. However, now, fans, and the organization, has more clarity and reassurance of where he is at mentally.

Head coach Doc Rivers has chimed in and saying Antetokounmpo has no intentions of leaving Milwaukee.

“If you’re around the team every day, and you saw those reports, you would laugh,” Rivers told The Athletic. “He’s given no indication (that he wants out). That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t change his mind, or whatever. But Giannis loves being in Milwaukee. He loves playing for this team. If something happens someday, where he changes his mind, I’d actually be surprised. But that can happen.”

Come this October 1st, Antetokounmpo will be eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million contract extension. This would see him remain with the Bucks through 2030, which would make him 35 years old.

Right now, Milwaukee is sitting eleventh in the Western Conference, with a record of 16-21. They suffered another loss on Wednesday night to the Golden State Warriors.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Washington Wizards have completed a trade that sends them Trae Young in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

This deal only involves players, there are no draft picks going to either organization. Over the past couple of days, Young, his representatives, and the Atlanta Hawks were coming together to piece a legit trade.

Per numerous reports, Young’s preferred trade destination was Washington. What fueled his desire to leave Atlanta was not receiving a contract extension this past offseason. For Atlanta, the 27-year-old no longer fit in their current scheme of how they wanted to run the team.

Jalen Johnson is expected to become the focal point of the Hawks; something fans have been wanting for quite some time now.

Young will now lead the Wizards young core into a new future, as Washington is tired of being in rebuild mode.

For the 2026-27 season, Young has a $49 million player option he can either opt into or try to secure a larger extension.

The Hawks future is still up in the air, as, according to ESPN and other outlets, Anthony Davis is still on their trade radar and could try to acquire him before the deadline comes to pass. This has intensified due to their large increase of financial flexibility with CJ McCollum being on an expiring contract and Kispert on a team-friendly deal.