The Toronto Raptors have been a pleasant surprise so far this NBA season, currently sitting at 24-17 ahead of Wednesday evening's game against the Indiana Pacers on the road. The Raptors have seen strong play from Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes so far this year, and are currently in the driver's seat to secure a top six seed in the Eastern Conference.
Still, the team is not resting on its laurels ahead of the upcoming NBA trade deadline, and recently, Marc Stein broke down what the potential framework of a Toronto trade for Dallas Mavericks big man Anthony Davis might look like.
“…any firm offer that the Raptors make is expected to be built around the contract of Immanuel Quickley or Jakob Poeltl alongside RJ Barrett in a Davis deal,” reported Stein on his Substack, also noting that “ven if the Raptors proved willing to attach a future first-round pick to those contracts, such a deal would provide scant financial relief for Dallas.”
Davis was recently reported to be undergoing surgery for a hand injury, but later shot down that speculation on Tuesady.
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Meanwhile, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel recently reported that Toronto also had interest in Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis, in addition to Davis.
“Sabonis is a very interesting name that keeps being connected to Toronto, with league personnel continuing to question any new information about the Raptors and Sabonis,” reported Siegel.
Siegel also noted that with Jamal Shead establishing himself as a reliable guard in Toronto's rotation, “Quickley's cap figure would be the key to this franchise making a key upgrade at the trade deadline.”
Overall, it's easy to see why the Raptors would want to be aggressive at the trade deadline, considering how wide open the Eastern Conference seems to be. The frontcourt is certainly the biggest area of need on Toronto at this point, so adding a player like Davis or Sabonis could give them the missing piece they need to fully unlock their potential.