Why Anthony Davis trade to Raptors seems unlikely

Davis injury should turn Raptors off on trade with Mavericks

Davis has only played in 25 out of a possible 65 games for the Mavericks since being acquired in the trade for Doncic. The team needs Davis in order to succeed, but his absence has led Dallas to a 12-20 start on the season.

The Raptors make sense as a team to acquire a centre like Davis because they don't have much depth behind Jakob Poeltl, who is currently dealing with a back injury. However, if Davis is also frequently injured, that would defeat the purpose of adding depth behind Poeltl.

The Raptors would likely have to trade Poeltl in order to acquire Davis anyway, so it just seems like Toronto and Dallas would be swapping each other's problems in a lose-lose scenario. In this case, the Raptors would be the bigger loser because they would be losing more value in other pieces going to the Mavs in a hypothetical deal.

Davis' injury also increases the need for the Mavs to keep Daniel Gafford, who has been linked to the Raptors in the past.

Ultimately, the Raptors need some healthy big men, and Davis just simply isn't that at this moment in time. It remains to be seen when Davis will return for the Mavericks after this latest groin injury. But it's safe to say that he is not what the Raptors are looking for.

In the meantime, the Raptors are back in action as they take on Alex Saar and the Washington Wizards. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Capital One Arena. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports, Monumental Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.

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