Rumors: Dallas Mavericks to pursue trade for Raptors star forward

The Dallas Mavericks head into the new year with a 19-14 record while sitting as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

The Mavs have gone from being a team that almost every media member doubted to being a team that looks as if they can contend in the loaded Western Conference.

Dallas is doing all of this without Kyrie Irving, as he has been out with a heel contusion since December 8. There is plenty to be excited about if you're a Mavs fan, and a potential trade could be on the horizon that would excite fans even more.

Rumors: Dallas Mavericks to pursue trade for Raptors star forward

According to a report by Michael Grange of Sportsnet, "Siakam is likely going to be pursued" by the Mavs. Siakam is someone who the Mavs called about this summer, and it sounds as if they could be a team to keep an eye on to make a move for him before the deadline. The Raptors traded O.G. Anunoby on Saturday, and this could lead to Siakam becoming a Maverick.

All summer it seemed as if Dallas was crossing their fingers that the Atlanta Hawks made a move for Siakam so they could join this team as a third team and land Clint Capela, but their focus has reportedly shifted away from Capela with Dereck Lively II playing so well.

This season for the Raptors, Siakam is averaging 21.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. Dallas would likely slot in Siakam at the four next to Lively II and would be a great addition to the Mavs' core with Irving, Lively II, and Luka Doncic.

Siakam is a phenomenal scorer and would provide Dallas with some positional size at the power forward position. Although he is only 6-foot-8, he plays bigger than that and has great length.

Siakam is on an expiring contract, so Dallas could potentially get this done by not giving up too many assets, but the Raptors aren't just going to give him away for nothing. The Mavs' depth would likely suffer, but it could be worth it if they were to trade for him and re-sign him next summer.

For all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks and the Pascal Siakam trade rumors, stay tuned.