NBA writer finally admits what every Mavericks fan feared most about Anthony Davis

The Toronto Raptors have been rumored as one of the top trade suitors for Anthony Davis ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, but it quietly doesn't make sense for them to make a move for the 10-time All-Star right now. Seasoned Raptors writer Michael Grange agrees, crushing Mavs fans' hope that the Raptors could swoop in and trade for him, as he recently gave fans insight into Toronto's thinking with less than three weeks to go until the deadline.

Grange stated that the Raptors have internally discussed the possibility of trading for Davis this season, but "instance timing matters: Acquiring Davis is the definition of a win-now move, given the big man’s injury history." Toronto is currently the No. 4 seed in the East at 25-19, but trading for Davis comes with many risks.

He is one of the best bigs in the NBA when healthy, but he struggles to stay on the court. Davis has only played in 29 games since being traded to the Mavs last season, and he is expected to miss at least the next month with a left finger sprain. This injury came at the worst time for the Mavericks, and Grange seems to think that timing is what will ultimately hold Toronto back from making a deal for the three-time NBA blocks champion.

The Raptors no longer look like a legit Anthony Davis suitor

While Grange stated that the Mavs are reluctant to give Davis the three-year extension that he is pushing for, he also stated that giving him an extension is "still a significant risk for any acquiring team." The Raptors are just two games back from the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and trading for Davis could break their season if things didn't go according to plan.

He would immediately become the best player on the team on paper, but they wouldn't be able to depend on him to remain healthy. If his Mavericks journey has proven anything, it's that he may always be held back by his injuries, and Grange doesn't seem to think that the Raptors should risk messing up their positive mojo to bring him in.

They would also have to send out significant salary to bring him in, likely parting with a combination of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl. A Davis trade would alter Toronto's team chemistry now, and in the future, largely due to how Davis and his camp view his future.

Any Davis trade would likely come with a summer extension, as this is Rich Paul's top priority, but even if "Davis was available for a steep discount, the timing doesn’t seem right for the current Raptors club."

An Anthony Davis trade will be complicated for any team that pursues him, and his desire for a massive extension this summer is likely what will end up pushing teams away. The Toronto Raptors always seemed like a complicated trade destination for him, given that the Mavs want expiring contracts and they don't have any worth pursuing, and Michael Grange's take on the Mavs-Raptors rumbles hit the nail on the head.

Now isn't the time for the Raptors to chase Davis, and his market may have dried up more than the Mavs want to admit ahead of the trade deadline.