The Toronto Raptors find themselves once again linked to a trade for a star player.

And interestingly enough, it’s a player who found himself at the centre of one of the most-talked-about trades in league history just earlier this year.

In an article published Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania linked the Raptors as potential trade partners with the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis.

Charania also named the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks as other possible suitors for Davis.

What could the Raptors give up in a trade for Davis?

Davis is in the first year of a three-year deal worth an average of $58 million per season, so it’s not exactly the easiest contract to take on.

Interestingly, current Raptor Brandon Ingram was one of the key pieces sent the other way when Davis was traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019.

Four players on the Raptors: Ingram, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley make between $27-38 million per season, and would need to include likely one or two of those contracts in order to match Davis’ salary, as per NBA trade rules.

We’ll put this one in the “believe it when we see it” category for the time being, until more trade buzz really heats up.

What is Davis’ recent history?

In January, Davis was flipped from the Lakers to the Mavericks in a package centred around Luka Dončić, in what’s largely been panned as one of the worst trades in league history.

The 32-year-old Davis is a 10-time All-Star but has had trouble sticking with his new team, playing just 19 games since being picked up. When available, he’s averaged 19.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists for the Mavericks across the last two seasons.

But that’s a far cry from how Dončić has looked, who also happens to be six years younger than Davis and the Lakers’ apparent net star for the future. Dončić has averaged 30.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in 45 games for the Lakers since the trade.

Earlier this season, the Mavericks fired general manager Nico Harrison, at least in part because of the fallout from the trade. The Mavericks currently sit 9-16 and in 11th place in the Western Conference, and hardly look anything like a team that was in the NBA Finals in 2024.

Despite the fact that Davis himself is a surefire lock for the Hall of Fame one day, it’s hard to say that trading for him at this point in his career would be anything but risky.

Lead photo by

Jerome Miron/Imagn Images