Is the cost to land big man Anthony Davis too pricey for the Raptors?

Whether the Raptors eventually get their hands on big man Anthony Davis is not the point, knowing all the financial and health perils surrounding the past NBA champion and perennial all-star.

The point is the Raptors have been rumoured to be in the running for the services of a legitimate franchise changer who teamed up with LeBron James to earn the Los Angeles Lakers a title when the NBA was forced to use the Orlando bubble during the 2020 COVID campaign.

Davis is 32 years old, remains among the highest-paid and will be eligible for a lucrative extension in an era of bloated contracts.

As far as trade chatter goes, the Raptors are among a handful of teams in the conversation with the likes of Detroit and Atlanta also being bandied about.

On the surface, the East-leading Pistons would benefit the most in a potential deal that sends Davis to Motown where he’ll team up with Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.

A Davis to Toronto package would also mean he’ll be teamed up with Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram, two players whom the Raptors should view as untouchable.

For those unaware, Davis landed in L.A. in a deal that sent Ingram to New Orleans.

Davis was dealt last season to Dallas in that controversial trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers, a transaction that ultimately led to last month’s dismissal of Mavs GM Nico Harrison.

Keep in mind that since the 2020-21 season, Davis has played over 60 games only once.

Marred by injury

His 2025 season has once again been marred by injury on a Dallas team that has dealt with injury.

When Davis is on the floor, the Mavs have been competitive.

Dallas, which won the NBA draft lottery, is trying to surround rookie Cooper Flagg with as many competent pieces as possible.

What’s known is that Dallas does have its first-round pick in 2026, but it then gets problematic knowing the Mavs don’t have control over their first-round picks from 2027 to 2030 due to previous trades.

While the lottery balls fell in the lap of Dallas this draft, history has shown that the best way to acquire high-end talent is by losing as often as possible.

Look no further than Toronto, which used the fourth overall pick to select Barnes.

He was a revelation in his rookie season, earning NBA rookie honours and being part of a playoff team that would lose to Philadelphia in six games.

He hasn’t sniffed the postseason since.

Monday date in Miami

With the Raptors back in action Monday night against the host Miami Heat, the process of better understanding Toronto’s roster will begin anew.

By now, it should be clear this team isn’t good enough to be considered real players in an Eastern Conference that is short on high-end teams.

Check out the standings and one will see the Pistons atop the conference.

Barnes has played well, while Ingram has shown himself to be very good when the ball is in his hands on offence.

The bench lacks experience and skill, while the jury is still out on Immanuel Quickley.

In other words, some kind of addition is required.

There’s no reason, even as currently constituted, for the Raptors to be in contention for a top-six seed, but so much will be dependent on health and, in particular, the health of Barnes and Ingram.

Even with RJ Barrett missing the past nine games because of a knee injury, the powers that be with the Raptors must by now know what they’ve got and what is realistically possible this season.

There’s no question Davis would elevate the Raptors.

He’s an elite big man who can do it all at both ends of the floor, ideally suited at power forward.

A.D.’s ilk

Forget about what it would take to acquire a player of Davis’ ilk, knowing outside of Barnes and Ingram, anyone and any package should be offered.

Would Davis be worth the price?

That answer is a simple yes.

The tough part will be the extension he’d be eligible to receive and whether the Raptors feel the price would indeed be right.

The whole conversation can be best summed up as risky business.

At the end of the day, any Davis trade talk can be dismissed as part of the NBA business when names get floated and teams get linked.

Beginning Monday, players signed this past off-season will be eligible to be traded.

Only time, as they say, will tell if any major moves are engineered, be it by the Raptors or any other team.

Suffice to say, some kind of move must be made by the Raptors this season.

By no means are the Raptors a bad team that is coming off a 1-4 homestand capped off by four straight losses, including a humbling defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks in Toronto’s most recent outing.

The Knicks are a true contender in the East and will play San Antonio in Tuesday night’s NBA Cup final.

The power balance in the NBA is weighted heavily in favour of the West, where the reigning champion OKC Thunder reside, where the likes of Denver and Houston wield power, and where an upstart team such as the Spurs are more than capable of presenting a threat to the division’s top tier.

The West is clearly best compared to the East.

If Davis happens to end up in the East, which would be a career first, his arrival would tip the scales.

It could be argued that his arrival in Big D made little sense.

It’s now being argued his departure would be best for Dallas as it looks to the future.

According to the trade gossip, the Raptors are in the game.

The question that can’t be answered is whether the game is worth playing, let alone winning.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com