What’s next for the Hawks after moving on from Trae Young?

After nearly eight seasons, the Hawks have stepped into a new chapter.

The team agreed to a deal with the Wizards that would send guard Trae Young to Washington in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

But multiple reports say the Hawks are by no means done with reshaping the roster.

Following the reports of the agreement to trade Young became public Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Hawks will pursue Mavericks big man Anthony Davis.

“They’re going to pursue Anthony Davis as a prime trade target with the Mavericks, but allowing this pursuit of Anthony Davis is really made possible because you get rid of this salary of Trae Young moving forward,” Charania said on ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” on Wednesday.

“And this is a Hawks team that’s now going to turn the page with their young core led by Jalen Johnson, and bring in CJ McCollum immediately, a plug-and-play veteran that can space the floor. Corey Kispert, a sharpshooter. So the Hawks are now moving toward figuring out, “Is there a big-salary player they can bring in — potentially, Anthony Davis?’”

In moving on from Young, the Hawks free $46 million owed to the guard this year, as well as a player option worth nearly $49 million next season. They do bring aboard McCollum’s expiring contract worth $30.7 million, as well as Kispert, who is in the first year of a four-year, $54 million contract.

With that flexibility in cap space, this season and next, the Hawks could absorb the hefty contract that comes with acquiring Davis. The 32-year-old center is set to earn $54 million this season, $58 million next year and a player option worth $63 million in 2027.

So here are two pros and two cons for the Hawks to make a deal to acquire Davis.

The pros

— Should the Hawks acquire Davis, they add another player who fills the star-power void left by Young. As of now, the heir apparent to the mantle of being the face of the franchise is Johnson, who is averaging 23.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists.

Johnson has yet to make an All-Star appearance after a lack of playing time and injuries hampered him in his first four seasons in the league.

So, with the addition of Davis, the Hawks get not only an NBA champion, but also a player who has earned 10 All-Star nods, four All-NBA First Team honors, as well as three NBA All-Defensive First Team awards.

— Davis earned his most recent NBA All-Defensive nod in 2024, and the Hawks could use plenty of help in that part of the game. The former first overall draft pick would bolster the Hawks’ frontcourt when healthy, giving the team the rim protection they’ve lacked this season.

In 266 possessions last season, the Mavericks allowed 9.6 fewer points per 100 possessions when Davis was on the court versus when he was off. With the Lakers, L.A. allowed 1.4 points fewer per 100 possessions with Davis.

This season, he’s blocked 2.6% of opposing players field-goal attempts, while rebounding 22.5% of opponents’ misses.

Davis can still be an impact player when healthy. In 19 games played this season, he has averaged 20.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 31.1 minutes per game.

The cons

— The NBA 75th Anniversary team member could help the team right now. Unfortunately, he has a long history of injuries. He exited the Mavericks’ Christmas Day game against the Warriors with a right groin strain after dealing with a left calf strain earlier in the season.