Could Raptors trade for Anthony Davis from Mavericks after Nico Harrison firing?

The Toronto Raptors could be a potential team interested in an Anthony Davis trade with the Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis reacts during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are not afraid to make big moves like they did last season when acquiring Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans.

However, Sports Illustrated writer Liam McKeone has an even bolder proposition, trading Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis.

"The Raptors, from all appearances, are trying to win this season with a core four of Quickley, Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Brandon Ingram," McKeone wrote. "So far it hasn’t worked too well, with Toronto muddling at .500 and putting up mediocre stats on both ends of the court.

"It’s a little quick to declare the experiment failed for all sorts of reasons but if Davis hits the market the Raptors have to at least consider a move; blowing up the core to land a star worked out pretty well last time, after all. There are many, many differences between this situation and what happened with Kawhi Leonard but there’s proof of concept there for the organization to lean on."

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis exchanges words with head coach Jason Kidd. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Davis could change trajectory for Raptors

Considering the Raptors sent OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks for Barrett and Quickley, it would be intriguing if they could flip that same package to get a future Hall-of-Famer in Davis.

Davis was traded back in February by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Mavs for Luka Doncic, but he isn't quite fitting the team's roster structure or timeline. Now that Nico Harrison has been fired, the Mavs may go in a different direction, which could free Davis from Dallas.

Adding him to the Raptors would give them a chance to compete for a top spot in the Eastern Conference. However, it may not be the best course of action for the Raptors.

"It’s a big haul for the Raptors to give up, especially given Davis’s fit becomes clunky without Barrett or Quickley’s scoring. But they have other pieces to maneuver in order to build the roster around AD and Barnes. A possible, if unlikely, scenario for both sides to consider," McKeone wrote.

The Raptors are beginning to click with their current core and they don't know how far it could go, but switching things up before a full season together doesn't make sense. If things are still up in the air by the summer, a trade could be revisited in the offseason if it is in the cards for both franchises.