Reports of the Atlanta Hawks’ interest in Anthony Davis predated the trade that shipped Trae Young. And once he was gone to Washington for what many thought was insulting, the Davis trade momentum picked up. They could’ve paired rising star Jalen Johnson with the Dallas Mavericks veteran. However, after his ligament injury, every rumor came to an abrupt end. And Hawks GM Onsi Saleh went on to drop the hammer blow on Monday.

“We like our bigs, we really do,” Saleh said of the team plan. “Let’s just continue to evaluate it. We still got 41 games to go. There’s a long period of time to figure this out. We’re not going to do anything that’s a quick fix for this season… We’re building this out for the long-term is everything.”

Bear in mind that Saleh is not really talking about long-term goals here, despite the assurances. According to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, the Hawks were previously “unsure” about Onyeka Okongwu and Mo Gueye being part of the Hawks’ future at center from a contention standpoint.

Okongwu is a good transition defender and holds up well on the perimeter. In fact, he’s averaging a career-high 16.3 points and 3.4 assists on 48.4/36.8/76.9 shooting splits. But he cannot protect the rim the way Kristaps Porzingis did during the Boston Celtics’ championship season. And now, with his checkered injury track record, it wouldn’t be fair to expect too much from the veteran.

The Hawks have been an average defensive team (16th) at best, which led to ideas of a core that paired Davis with Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. It would somewhat address both their defensive and offensive production.

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But while the trade buzz around Davis appears to have faded, there are reports of the Hawks eyeing another Mavericks big man.

NBA insider reveals Hawks’ interest in yet another Mavericks player after Anthony Davis… can it work?

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Daniel Gafford was of significant interest to Eastern Conference teams, including the Hawks.

“I have heard a rival executive or two posit that the teams do have the option of pivoting to a potential Daniel Gafford swap,” Stein reported. “Atlanta is said to have some interest in the Dallas big man alongside Indiana and Boston.”

Let’s start with Saleh’s statement on improving the frontcourt. It kills any trade scenario, even though the Hawks were exploring one behind closed doors.

But Gafford is a non-shooting center. He won’t contribute much to the offensive production. While most teams can afford a non-shooter at 5, the Hawks already have Dyson Daniels with a similar profile for the next 4.5 years. And to have two lesser scorers on the roster is not a great move. If they played together, they would end up clogging the paint.

However, there are still ways that Gafford could help them. He was a big reason the Mavericks rose to become one of the league’s best teams before the Luka Doncic trade. So, if the Hawks can bring either player off the bench, Gafford could prove to be a significant addition.

For the Mavericks, on the other hand, with Davis out, the best course of action for them is to tank. Except for the 2026 first-round pick, they don’t own a lottery pick until 2030. So, they can wait until next season and structure a roster around a hopefully ‘healthy’ Davis and Kyrie Irving. Set them up with Cooper Flagg, and they could emerge as unlikely contenders in the next few years. But there’s no quick fix for this team.