Dallas Mavericks emerge as favorites to land Raptors star

It is without question the Dallas Mavericks need another big man. Over the past two games, the team has been outrebounded and out-bodied down low.

Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Mavs took down the best team in the Western Conference. Dallas outshot Minnesota as they converted 37.5 percent of their 3-point shots. However, the team was far from perfect, as they allowed the T-Wolves to pull in 33 defensive rebounds. They also let Minnesota drop in 50 points inside the paint.

The same trend continued Tuesday when Dallas fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 120-103. The problem? The Mavs could not stop Memphis down low. Against the Grizzlies, Dallas was outrebounded by 21 as they also allowed the opposition to score 56 points inside the paint.

Dallas Mavericks emerge as favorites to land Raptors star

The main issue is that Dallas has played the past three games without their center, Dereck Lively II. The Mavs rookie has been dealing with a left ankle sprain.

To make matters worse, former starter Grant Williams has struggled over the past weeks. Williams is averaging 5 points per game and 1.3 rebounds during January. This is a drop from the beginning of the season when he averaged 12.3 points per game and five rebounds.

One solution could be trading for All-Star Pascal Siakam. Last month, it was reported that the Mavs were one team that had a possible interest in the Toronto forward.

The idea ramped up this week when the Toronto Star reported that the Mavs had the best betting odds to land Siakam.

If Dallas were to get Siakam, this would be a bonus for the team. Siakam would be an upgrade from Williams, as he has yet to score below 15 points over the past two months. He is also an offensive threat who can use his body to score inside the paint.

Siakam is a lethal scorer who can create his own shot whenever he wants.

Not to mention, Siakam has also been shooting well from the 3-point line. During January, he is shooting 61.5 percent from behind the arc.

So, does Dallas have the pieces to trade for a star like Siakam?

The simple answer is yes. Last week, the Smoking Cuban proposed a trade package of Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, Jaden Hardy, Rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and a future 2nd round pick for Siakam. It was also recently reported that the Mavs were open to shipping Hardaway Jr. and Richaun Holmes.

The biggest hurdle will be Toronto's asking price.

If Dallas can meet the Raptors' in the middle, then trading for Siakam would be a no brainer.

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