Mavericks' Anthony Davis trade smoke points to an unexpected suitor

Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis has been in trade rumors ever since Nico Harrison was fired last month, and the team that seems to be pulling away from the rest is the Toronto Raptors. Toronto first registered interest in Davis earlier this month, and despite his trade market being relatively quiet, the Raptors seem to be the team showing more interest than anyone else.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported about Toronto's interest in a trade for Davis on a recent episode of the "DLLS Mavs Podcast," and the way he described the Raptors differed from other teams' rumored interest.

"Toronto has definitely registered interest (in Davis)," Stein said. "That is for certain."

Toronto's interest in Anthony Davis is more than exploratory

He then proceeded to talk about the Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons' interest. Both of those teams have been in Davis rumblings alongside Toronto as well, but Stein made it clear that those squads weren't as deep in the hunt as the Raptors.

He called the Hawks' interest "exploratory," and shut down Mavs fans' dreams of Dallas receiving a massive haul from the Pistons by calling their interest "vastly overstated." Davis' trade market isn't overflowing with potential suitors just yet, and after some whispers about the Chicago Bulls making a run at him a few weeks ago, it has been relatively silent on that front.

It seems like most of the smoke on the Davis rumor mill is coming straight from Canada, and Toronto making a move for him makes sense. The fact that Stein described the Hawks and Pistons' interest as "exploratory" and "overstated" is notable, and the Raptors seem to be the most legitimate threat to pry Davis away from the Mavericks.

They are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this year, and making a move for a player of Davis' caliber could be what they need to rise to the top to compete with the Pistons. The Raptors need a true dominant force down low to hang with Detroit and make a deep playoff run, and that's where Davis would come into play.

Jakob Poeltl and Scottie Barnes alone isn't going to be enough of a paint presence to survive the grit and grind of the playoffs, and adding a proven champion in Davis could be exactly what they need. Davis is a one-time NBA champion from his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he could bring his championship experience from LA to The Six.

The Raptors have recent memories of trading from a proven champion to help bring a title to the city, as that's exactly what they did with Kawhi Leonard in the summer of 2018. Despite Leonard playing just nine games in the season prior and being on an expiring contract, Toronto took a risk.

They sent DeMar DeRozan, Poeltl, and a first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs for Leonard and Danny Green, and it paid off massively. They won their one and only NBA title with Leonard on the squad in 2019, and they've won one playoff series since.

This type of risky swing propelled the Raptors to being a contender, and even though Leonard left after one season, they wouldn't have won without him. A trade for Davis could lead to similar success, and it'll all come down to how interested the Raptors are, combined with his ability to stay healthy over the next month and a half.

Teams around the league want Davis to prove that he can remain on the floor before giving up valuable assets for him, and since returning from a left calf strain on November 28, he has done just that. He has led Dallas to some marquee victories over the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons since returning to the lineup, and his two-way ability has been a game-changer for Dallas.

Time will tell if the Mavericks ride this season out with Davis or trade him ahead of the deadline, and if they do decide to move on, keep an eye on the Raptors. The most noise so far seems to be coming out of Toronto, and with their history of failing to land star free agents, now may be the perfect time to trade for one.