3 teams who could trade for Mavericks' Anthony Davis, per NBA insider

The Dallas Mavericks seem to have come to the realization that Anthony Davis doesn't fit the current state of the roster. He insists on playing power forward when everyone is healthy, but he's a bad three-point shooter, and Dallas' rotation of centers doesn't shoot at all.

But the Mavericks won't give Anthony Davis away for free. He's played well recently (outside of the OKC Thunder game) since returning from his calf strain, but he's been playing at center with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II out. Ideally, the Mavericks would like to evaluate the full roster with everyone healthy, but the odds of everyone on this roster being healthy at the same time seem impossible.

ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania has reported on three teams that could join the Anthony Davis sweepstakes.

"Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis, another former NBA champion, is expected to be a critical trade target of several teams, including many of the East's contenders. The Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors are expected to be suitors for Davis, league sources told ESPN," Charania wrote.

"...The Pistons (19-5), Raptors (15-10), and Hawks (14-11) represent high-level threats in the East and are having seasons that give hope that a player like Davis -- a 10-time All-Star who has spent his entire career in the Western Conference -- can elevate them into a viable championship-quality team."

Which Team Could Use Anthony Davis the Most?

Ideally, the Mavericks would want to trade with the Atlanta Hawks, as they have a few valuable draft picks, including the best first-rounder between the Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans this year, and the least favorable of the 2027 picks between the Bucks and the Pelicans (as long as the pick doesn't fall in the top four). With the Bucks possibly looking to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, those are two extremely valuable picks, but it's hard to see Atlanta giving up those picks for Davis.

From a roster-building perspective, the Detroit Pistons don't make much sense. They have an elite rim-protecting lob threat of a center in Jalen Duren, and they should want to prioritize spacing around Cade Cunningham. Anthony Davis playing power forward would be the opposite of that.

However, the Raptors could make sense. They're overachieving so far this year, as they sit 4th in the Eastern Conference with a 15-10 record, and they could use a talent upgrade. They could do a package of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for Anthony Davis and Caleb Martin, while throwing in a few first-round picks, preferably in 2027 and 2029. That would give the Mavericks a little more tax space this year while getting off the salary of Martin. While Barrett and Quickley are also on bad contracts, they're at least a slightly more tolerable number.

And while some would argue that it would take a point guard away from the Raptors, Scottie Barnes is more than capable of running the point.

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