The Raptors’ perfect offer of Anthony Davis to the Mavericks at the time of the sudden start

There were not many high expectations for Toronto Raptors starts the 2025-26 season. Sure, Brandon Ingram will improve the team, but many weren’t sold on how much Ingram would change the team. But so far, the addition of Ingram is everything the Raptors expected and more, as they are currently sitting pretty in third place in the Eastern Conference at the moment with a record of 16-11.

This The Raptors team was facing pressure to make it work amid a bloated payroll and a poor last two seasons unbecoming of a team that pays as much as it does for its roster. And for what it’s worth, Toronto has been a good, if not great, team that knows it has a lot of room to grow.

The Raptors cooled off after a hot start; while they certainly have their sights set on making noise in the wide east, it’s become pretty obvious that they may not have enough against the best teams in the association.

Not at all a surprise to see The Raptors are involved in trade rumors involving Anthony Daviswhich could be on the car in Dallas. The Dallas Mavericks won’t be willing to trade the main piece they got in the Luka Doncic trade, but if they were to fully pivot to a youth movement, trading Davis for young pieces and draft picks could do them a world of good.

The Raptors have never been shy about trading for a superstar, and their risk-taking paid off in 2019 in the form of an NBA championship. Could the same happen if they traded for the Mavericks star?

Raptors trade package for Anthony Davis

Raptors pick up: Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy

Mavericks take over: Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, Collin Murray-Boiles

Now, the Raptors roster that added Kawhi Leonard was a perennial contender in the East who failed to break through simply because of the presence of LeBron James. This team from Toronto is not that caliber of team. They have the strength to be contenders in the East, but have yet to prove anything with this current core.

There is something to be said for continuity and giving their current core a chance to develop and learn what it takes to win. At least they’re learning how to get wins in the regular season, but at this point, it seems too early to trade away their key pieces to bring in someone like Davis.

This does not mean that Davis wouldn’t be a huge addition for the Raptors it could establish them as a 50-win team that could go deep into the playoffs. Davis and Scotty Barnes would combine to form one of the most potent defensive frontcourts in the entire league, and they have the wings to field a top-five defense if they land the Mavericks star.

The Raptors made an effort to get their buckets inside; they the result is 46 percent of their points in the paint (per NBA.com), and Davis makes them an even more dangerous team on the interior going forward.

Davis is at risk of injury, but when healthy, he produces for the Mavericks. He’s currently averaging 20-11 on the year on nearly 52 percent shooting from the field to go along with a steal and a block per contest — making him a perfect fit for the Raptors’ solid, defense-first identity, which has them ranked seventh in defensive rating so far this season.

But the Raptors have to weigh the cost of bringing in Davis. The Mavericks star won’t come cheap, especially when he was the centerpiece of the Luka Doncic trade that continues to haunt the franchise. And that cost might not be something the Raptors are willing to bear.

Any trade of Davis to the Raptors will have to include at least one of Ingram, Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, while Poeltl must be added in order for them to they match the Mavericks star’s $54.1 million salary. Losing two key members of the group will hurt already painfully as it is, but the Mavs may not even consider that trade package enough.

There is no way the Raptors will trade Ingram or Barnes, so Toronto will have to decide whether or not it would be worth it to package one of Barrett or Quickley along with Poeltl. Again, a package that includes two of those three won’t be enough to convince the Mavericks to pull the trigger on a Davis trade, so Toronto would have to add more pieces — with Collin Murray-Boyles possibly going to Dallas as the final sweetener.

That may be where the Raptors draw the line. They clearly believe in Murray-Boyles and his potential as a shifty big with plenty of room for improvement offensively. They took him with the ninth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and it would hurt them so much to give up someone who has proven to be a key contributor to a winning team.

Murray-Boyles is so raw offensively, but he’s shooting 48 percent from deep on limited attempts this season, suggesting he could be a spacer once he rounds out his game.

Raptors fans reading this may have already closed the articles tab after seeing the trade package that was put together. But at the end of the day, it has to be said that it’s a safe bet that the Raptors would choose not to pull off this trade. It just annoys the team so much, and that’s not something a winning team wants to do in the middle of the season.

Looking to trade Davis seems to be more of an offseason thing for the Raptors, especially if they fall early in the playoffs. But this is the price Toronto can expect from Dallas in any trade talks. The good news is that they won’t have to give up any first-round picks anyway.