Deal or no deal: Does Anthony Davis make sense for the Raptors?

Welcome to Deal or no deal?, our annual trade-season series ahead of the NBA's Feb. 5 deadline. Its purpose is to find sensible trade partners. While some of the proposals you'll read about over the next two months stem from previous reports and speculation, these are mostly our own creations in an effort to satisfy all parties involved.

The first entry in this year's series explores a potential move north for Anthony Davis.

Whether Davis is even up for grabs might be a point of contention in Dallas. The 10-time All-Star can still sleepwalk to 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks when healthy. He also served as the centerpiece of the Luka Doncic trade less than a year ago, still has at least another year and a half of team control left, and the 11-17 Mavericks can talk themselves into fielding a respectable squad by the time the postseason rolls around.

Dallas is 7-5 with Davis in the lineup and currently sit just a half-game out of the 10th and final play-in seed in the West. Add the eventual return of Kyrie Irving to help the struggling offense, and none of this lends itself to the Mavs trading Davis for less than top dollar.

However, even if Davis stays healthy, Irving returns, and the Mavs hit their stride, they're unlikely to contend. Meanwhile, the 2026 draft represents Dallas' last chance to control its own first-round pick until 2031. If the club wants to surround teenage rookie Cooper Flagg with talent that better fits his timeline, there's one clear path: Trade Davis to the highest bidder and prioritize lottery odds between now and April.

Then there's the complicating factor of Davis, himself. The 32-year-old has missed 16 of 28 games this season, 43% of contests over the last two campaigns, and roughly a quarter of his team's games over the course of his career. The injury-prone big man is owed roughly $58.5 million next season (35.2% of the salary cap), with a $62.8-million player option in 2027-28 (36%).

It's tough to construct a winner in the age of aprons when allocating such resources to players a notch or two below the league's biggest difference-makers, let alone a secondary star who's always hurt. And we haven't even considered the delicate negotiations required for a potential Davis extension.

No team should be mortgaging its future for this version of Davis or rushing to break the bank on an extension next year. But there's clearly still value in his 6-foot-10 frame. If the Mavs can accept that a lesser package centered around Flagg's timeline is better than nothing, and the team acquiring Davis focuses on what he can provide for the duration of his current contract, there's still a deal to be struck.

The Raptors, Hawks, and Pistons have been the teams most frequently linked to Davis, but Atlanta has its own Trae Young-sized conundrum to figure out and Detroit already has a rapidly improving franchise center in Jalen Duren. That leaves Toronto as the most logical landing spot of the three.

The Raptors have a dearth of solid, yet unspectacular, young wings, all of their picks, and enough medium-to-large salaries to cobble something together without completely selling the farm.

Here's the framework of a deal I'd consider:

*Poeltl becomes trade-eligible Jan. 7

Toronto's offense has struggled to find the same flow without Barrett's scoring, cutting and downhill pressure since the Canadian swingman suffered a knee injury, so there's some temptation to use Immanuel Quickley's contract instead. That would also open up a starting spot for sophomore point guard Jamal Shead. However, Quickley's shot-creation and 3-point volume would be too valuable on a team starting Davis, Scottie Barnes, and Brandon Ingram. Barrett is likely more appealing to the Mavs, anyway.

Meanwhile, Poeltl's screen-setting, rebounding, and sound defensive play have long been underrated. His veteran know-how would be a welcome addition as Flagg continues to mature, even if Poeltl's not a modern shooting big. The issue is that Poeltl's dealing with a bad back that has sapped his lift and effectiveness, which is quite concerning for a 30-year-old center under contract through 2030. Consider the extra draft pick as sweetener to help Dallas stomach Poeltl's contract.

Finally, Dick seems to be running out of rope if the Raptors are interested in contending. The Kansas product was drafted as a sharpshooter with some size, but he's been a below-average shooter over the course of his three-year career, and recent improvements to his all-around game aren't enough to mask that. Barrett's injury should've been a golden opportunity for Dick to show he's leveled up as a scorer. Instead, he's lost minutes to Ja'Kobe Walter, Ochai Agbaji, and Jamison Battle at times.

Dick seems like an ideal candidate for a fresh start, and the Mavs could use the 22-year-old's shooting upside as they look to build a young core around Flagg.

For the Raptors, there would be spacing issues to figure out and questions to answer on the offensive end, but this deal would give them a chance to field the league's best defense outside of Oklahoma City. They could also punish teams inside, with a No. 1 scorer (Ingram) capable of creating and making shots from the low-percentage areas postseason defenses concede.

Would that formula see Toronto usurp New York as the East favorite? Probably not, but a Finals berth wouldn't be out of reach. And they'd still have Barnes, promising rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, Walter, Shead, and most of their draft picks when planning for the future.

The counter-argument is that the third-place Raptors are already in fine shape and still consider themselves a rebuilding club. If that's the case, the best course of action would simply be to add a depth center like Davis' teammate, Daniel Gafford, or an even cheaper one, like Brooklyn's Day'Ron Sharpe. In that more prudent scenario, the Raptors could keep their powder dry for a genuine superstar trade rather than a rushed deal for a fading star.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.