As NBA trade rumors persist, Raptors resume schedule Monday in Miami

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Whether the Raptors eventually get their hands on big man Anthony Davis is not the point, knowing all of the financial and health perils surrounding perennial all-star and past NBA champion.

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The Raptors have been rumored to be in the running for the services of a legitimate franchise-changer who teamed up with LeBron James to earn the Los Angeles Lakers a title in 2020.

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Davis is 32 years old, remains among the highest-paid in the game and will be eligible for a lucrative extension.

As far as trade chatter goes, the Raptors are among a handful of teams in the conversation along with the likes of Detroit and Atlanta.

On the surface, the East-leading Pistons would benefit the most, teaming up Davis with young studs Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.

Davis to Toronto would put Davis on the floor with Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, two players whom the Raptors should view as untouchable.

Davis, who landed in L.A. in a deal that sent Ingram to New Orleans, was dealt again last season to Dallas in that controversial trade that shipped Luka Doncic to the Lakers, a transaction that ultimately led to last month’s dismissal of Mavs GM Nico Harrison.

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Plenty of missed games for A.D.

Keep in mind that since 2020-21, Davis has played in excess of 60 games in a season only once.
His 2025 campaign has once again be marred by injury.

When Davis is on the floor, the Mavs have been competitive.

Dallas, which won the NBA draft lottery, is trying to surround rookie Cooper Flagg with as many competent pieces as possible. It does have its first-round pick in 2026. But then it gets problematic knowing the Mavs don’t have a first-round selection for the following four years due to previous trades.

While the lottery balls fell in the lap of Dallas this draft, history has shown that the best way to acquire high-end talent is by losing as often as possible.

Look no further than Toronto, which used the fourth overall pick in 2021 to select Barnes. He was a revelation right away, earning NBA rookie honors and being part of a Toronto playoff team that lost to Philadelphia in six games, but hasn’t sniffed the post-season since.

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With the Raptors back in action Monday night against the host Miami Heat, the process of better understanding Toronto’s roster will begin anew.

By now, it should be clear that this team isn’t good enough to be considered true players in an Eastern Conference that is short on high-end teams.

Barnes has played well, while Ingram has shown to be very good when the ball is in his hands on offence.
The bench lacks experience and skill, while the jury is still out on point guard Immanuel Quickley.

In other words, some kind of addition is required.

There’s no reason, even as currently constituted, for the Raptors to be in contention for a top-six seed, but so much will be dependent on the health of Barnes and Ingram.

Even with RJ Barrett missing the past nine games because of a knee injury, the powers that be with the Raptors must by now know what they’ve got and what is realistically possible this season.

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There’s no question Davis would elevate the Raptors. He’s an elite big — ideally suited at power forward — who can do it all at both ends of the floor.

Forget about what it would take to acquire a player of Davis’ ilk knowing that outside of Barnes and Ingram, anyone and any package should be offered.

Worth the price to acquire

Would Davis be worth the price? That answer is a simple yes.

The tough part will be the extension he’d be eligible to receive and whether the Raptors feel the price would be right.

The whole conversation can be best summed up as risky business.

At the end of the day, any Davis trade talk can be dismissed as part of NBA business when names and teams get floated and linked.

Beginning Monday, players signed this past off-season will be eligible to be traded.

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Only time, as they say, will tell if any major moves are engineered, be it by the Raptors or any other team.

Suffice to say, some kind of move must be made by the Raptors this season.

The power balance in the NBA is weighted heavily in favor of the West where the reigning champion OKC Thunder reside, where the likes of Denver and Houston wield power, where an upstart team such as the Spurs are more than capable of presenting a threat to the division’s top tier.

The West is clearly best compared to the East.

If Davis happens to end up in the East, which would be a career first, his arrival would tip the scales in favor of whoever lands him.

According to the trade gossip, the Raptors are in the game.

The question that can’t be answered is whether the game is worth playing, let alone winning.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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