Toronto Raptors showing interest in two Mavericks bigs, including Anthony Davis

The Dallas Mavericks could be looking to trade away a few veterans to better fit the Cooper Flagg timeline. Most of the chatter surrounds Anthony Davis, who is aging and on a bad contract, which makes a landing spot hard to find for him.

However, the Toronto Raptors have shown some interest in him, per NBA insider Marc Stein, as they've sent out "early signals" of wanting to upgrade their frontcourt. Jake Fischer mentioned that Domantas Sabonis and Davis are the bigs to keep an eye on there, and then Stein doubled down on the latest DLLS Mavs show by saying, "Toronto has definitely registered interest."

The Raptors just signed Jakob Poeltl to a large deal, but he doesn't elevate a team's ceiling like Anthony Davis would. Yes, the injury concerns are there, and the contract is egregious, but they just traded for and extended Brandon Ingram last year. They didn't give up all that much, sending out Indiana's 2026 first-round pick (before Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles), but it still was a first-round pick. They could afford to give a couple for Anthony Davis, especially if the bad contract of Poeltl and/or Immanuel Quickley are in the deal.

Toronto is already looking like an expensive team next year, as Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Quickley, Poeltl, and RJ Barrett will make a combined $163 million next year, and their ceiling is still limited with that. They may as well pool assets together and go get Anthony Davis.

Oct 26, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) and Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles (12) look for the ball during the game between the Mavericks and the Raptors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Raptors Interested In Daniel Gafford, Too

Josh Lewenberg of TSN reported that the more "realistic" target for the Raptors is actually Daniel Gafford. "[Gafford is] a player I'm told the Raptors are interested in, that they like, and that they've already checked in on."

Lewenberg believes that the Raptors are most interested in adding insurance for Poeltl rather than a replacement, but Gafford is probably the better player, and he's a lot more cost-effective at about $18 million per year, on average, for the next three years.

Gafford has been in trade rumors since the moment he signed his contract extension with the Mavs this offseason. It was the most he could sign for while still being trade-eligible, which ended up not mattering since he hasn't been traded yet. Dallas had a deep frontcourt between Davis, Gafford, and Dereck Lively II, but injuries have hampered them from playing together.

That could mean that the Mavericks look to keep Gafford, as Lively is now out for the season due to an upcoming foot surgery. But if the Mavericks get an offer that can land them a first-round pick anywhere between 2027 and 2030 for Gafford, they need to seriously consider it.

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