How the Raptors' Anunoby trade could lead to a bigger move for the Mavericks

Will Miller

Toronto Raptors v Washington Wizards / Scott Taetsch/GettyImages

The trade deadline in the NBA is vastly approaching as we are only a little over a month away from the league's February 8 deadline, and the Dallas Mavericks are in a position to make a move as they have a variety of areas to address despite a solid 18-14 start.

Teams across the league that are in a position to make a run in the playoffs are doing their best to seek any avenue to improve their roster as parity is at an all time high in the NBA.

One team decided to kickstart trade season today by making a massive move to improve their chances of making a playoff run, as the New York Knicks acquired two-way wing O.G. Anunoby in a blockbuster deal with the Toronto Raptors.

How the Raptors' Anunoby trade could lead to an even bigger move for the Mavericks

There's one thing that's even more intriguing about this trade though, as reading between the lines can certainly give us a sense of where Raptors' executive Masai Ujiri's head is at after making this move. The Raptors have been stuck in perpetual mediocrity the last season and a half, as they've suffered roster imbalance because of carrying too many players with similar skillsets.

Anunoby has long been prophesied as the first chip to be dealt between him and star forward Pascal Siakam if Ujiri wanted to blow the team up, and it seems like that could be the direction the Raptors' are heading given that they shipped off Fred VanVleet to Houston this past summer as well.

This begs the question of whether or not Ujiri would be willing to move Pascal Siakam ahead of the NBA trade deadline, as doing do would likely catalyze a rebuild in Toronto. One thing is certain though, that being that Ujiri will have his fair share of suitors for the two-time All Star in Siakam, who is currently averaging 21.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.

The Dallas Mavericks could potentially be one of those suitors, as it was reported that Dallas called the Raptors about Siakam back in June, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Mavs General Manager Nico Harrison rebirth conversations around a potential Siakam deal with Ujiri.

Siakam would be the lengthier defensive anchor at the forward position that Dallas needs more than anything if he was to get traded here, and Dallas could certainly use his rebounding

Siakam would assuredly command a steep asking price though as he's very dynamic as a shot creator and finisher, and he's evolved into becoming one of the more multi-faceted stars in the NBA since coming into the league. Pairing Siakam with Doncic and Irving would form a tantalizing trio, so Dallas should definitely consider trading for Siakam if they want a chance at contention.

We'll have to wait and see if Nico Harrison is willing to meet Toronto's asking price for Siakam if he becomes available, so stay tuned with us for more updates amidst all of Dallas' recent trade rumors.

Will Miller

Will Miller is a senior contributor and is in his second year with The Smoking Cuban. Will has been following the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade and is currently working on getting a Bachelors in Science in Sports Journalism from the University of North Texas, as he is also covering sports for the North Texas TV station. While Will is opening up his coverage to cover other sports for UNT, basketball and the Dallas Mavericks are his true passion and he hopes to continue writing and producing Mavericks related content as his career continues. Will has very solid in-game analysis and knowledge about the intricacies of the game, and has a very broad understanding about the NBA as a whole. Going forward Will is looking to be more expansive in his coverage of the Mavericks beyond writing as well. Outside of writing about the Mavericks, Will enjoys hanging with friends, going to the gym, and watching other sports and live events.