As far fetched as it may seem, the Toronto Raptors have reportedly put together an offer for Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis. The Raptors would need to give up virtually half of their team for the forward, and the rumors have had Raptors fans and NBA fans alike wondering: is an Anthony Davis to Toronto trade worth it? A Raptors trade for Anthony Davis would need to include Pascal Siakam. The emerging star from Cameroon currently looks like the best player in Toronto not named Kawhi and will be at the top of the Pelicans target list. New Orleans will be looking for more young talent in the trade, and the Raptors will most likely need to package 21-year-old OG Anunoby along with either Delon Wright or Fred VanVleet. In order for salaries to line up, either Jonas Valančiūnas or Serge Ibaka would need to be added to the deal, although the Pels would most likely prefer Serge. New Orleans will now be entering a rebuilding stage, so they’ll also be looking for future first round picks in the deal as well. Raptors Trade: Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Serge Ibaka, Delon Wright, 2021 1st Round Pick, 2023 1st Round Pick Pelicans Trade: Anthony Davis, Cheick Diallo Should Toronto Give Up This Much? Losing Pascal will hurt. He’s quickly become a top player on the Raptors, and his impact on a nightly basis is undeniable. From his quickness running the floor to his lockdown defense, he’s truly a unique talent. Cheick Diallo may not be anywhere close to Siakam’s skill level, but he’ll provide the Raptors with a bit more depth, something that they’ll be losing in this trade. Serge Ibaka has been a mid-range sharpshooter for the Raptors this year, and his monster blocks have electrified the Scotiabank Arena. But, as good as Ibaka can be, he’s absolutely replaceable, along with the other players included in this deal. Simply put, Anthony Davis is better than all of these players put together times five, and he’s worth every penny. via. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Boasting two generational talents in their primes is something unheard of for Toronto. Never before have they had the opportunity they currently have, and they need to pounce on it. Kawhi Leonard will become a free agent this summer, and chances are, he isn’t staying in TO. The Raptors time to win is NOW. If the Raptors want to convince Leonard to re-sign, they’ll need to at the very least make the NBA Finals, and they can’t do that with this roster. Bringing in AD would instantly make the Raptors the favorites in the East. Losing fan favorites like Pascal Siakam may hurt Raptors fans (especially after DeRozan’s departure last summer), but a championship would easily mend their broken hearts. Even though AD has voiced his intentions of signing with LA once his contract is up, the opportunity in front of the Raptors is too great to pass up. Toronto needs to throw everything they have at NOLA (minus Kawhi Leonard) to land Anthony Davis. The pros outweigh the cons, and the Raptors need to be willing to make sacrifices to win. @colbystoesz<doc-sep>NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 23: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on against the Detroit Pistons at Smoothie King Center on January 23, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) The Toronto Raptors will reportedly throw their hat into the ring and make a trade offer for five-time All-Star Anthony Davis. Undoubtedly the biggest news in NBA circles on Monday, was the report that Anthony Davis had requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. Almost immediately, Toronto Raptors fans wondered what the chances were of their team being able to put together a package for the 2012 first overall draft pick. Tip of the Tower colleague David Morassutti wrote an article earlier on Tuesday, explaining why the Raptors would likely be unsuccessful in any attempt to trade for Davis. However, as much as his conclusion makes a lot of sense, it appears the team will still throw their hat into the ring. As reported by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Raptors will join the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks, in making a play for Davis between now and the Feb. 7 trade deadline. And in fairness, why not? Remember that a lot of people dismissed the Raptors, when they first made their interest known in Kawhi Leonard last season. Well, we all know how that played out; he allegedly preferred a move to Los Angeles, but still ended up in Toronto. It doesn’t matter how much Davis may apparently want to join the Lakers. The Pelicans still have some control over the player and can decide where they want to move him. The five-time All-Star is still under contract for next season. As such, even though he has told New Orleans he has no intention of signing an extension, there is — at least theoretically — no immediate rush to trade him. As per ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pelicans are taking this approach with Davis, unless they receive an overwhelming offer. And even then, they may well still wait until the summer. (In fact, Wojnarowski believes New Orleans’ preference is to not move Davis until after this season.) The understanding is the Boston Celtics — who are also interested in Davis — will be unable to join the bidding before the upcoming trade deadline unless Kyrie Irving is moved, due to Collective Bargaining Agreement rules. With this in mind, it makes perfect sense to wait until after this season when Boston can enter the fray, in the process helping drive up the return packages New Orleans can potentially receive for their superstar. Thoughts turn to what the Raptors specifically could offer in return for Davis – assuming New Orleans do move him before the upcoming trade deadline. In this respect, they actually have a lot of assets which may well be appealing to the Pelicans. For a start, there are some budding young talents, including Pascal Siakm and OG Anunoby. There are also more established veteran players such as Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka, as well as draft picks to offer. How this combination of assets matches up to what other teams can offer, is open to debate. In any event, the Raptors are right to at least try to trade for Davis; his combination with Leonard would be a devastating one for opponents to contend with, no matter how long or short this lasted for. Further, with Masai Ujiri already committed to going all-in this season, putting in an offer for Davis continues the philosophy. Assuming Leonard does leave in the Summer, the Raptors may not be in this position again for quite a while, so now is the time to strike. Ultimately, we still believe the Raptors are unlikely to be successful in persuading the Pelicans to trade Davis to them. However, it is still the right play by the team to at least try; as per the SAS motto: “Who Dares Wins”. What’s your take on the speculation linking the Toronto Raptors to Davis? How confident are you that the five-time All-Star will be traded to Southern Ontario by Feb. 7? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.<doc-sep>By now you’ve heard all the NBA chatter: Anthony Davis has informed the New Orleans Pelicans that he does not intend to re-sign with the team and has requested a trade. The Pelicans are fast falling out of the West playoff picture, and have largely wasted one of the NBA’s premiere talents for the entirety of his career to date, so it’s not an absurd request. The timing is a bit suspect though — as LeBron James hovers outside the frame waiting for his Lakers to reload with talent so he can make a few more spirited runs at an NBA Title. But that’s none of our business! The reason why we’re here is to discuss the Raptors and their presumptive move to get into the Anthony Davis trade market. While the teams most often linked to a Davis deal, namely the Lakers (and I guess the Clippers?) and the Celtics have their assets and cache and whatnot to work with, the Raptors have a little juice too. It may sound like an impossible dream, but also: What team will Anthony Davis team play for on Feb 8, 2019? New Orleans -200 Toronto +500 LA Lakers +600 LA Clippers +700 Brooklyn +1000 Houston +1200 Oklahoma City +1200 Boston +1500 Any Other Team +300https://t.co/baVg4On1Od — MyBookie Sportsbook (@betmybookie) January 28, 2019 I mean, we should at least talk about it, am I right? Should the Raptors Deal for Davis? I hesitate to veer too hard into hyperbole here, but what the hell: Anthony Davis is obviously a top five player in the NBA. He’s 25 years old, just coming into his athletic prime, listed at 6’10” and 253 pounds, and currently posting averages of 29.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.6 blocks, and a shooting line of 51%/33%/81%. Other than injury concerns, which have cost Davis between 10-20 games a season for his career, it’s exceedingly difficult to spot any holes in his game. What’s more: Davis has been posting these ungodly numbers while playing for a stream of over-matched (but, sure, beloved) coaches, and with a cast of players we could only charitably describe as ramshackle. For Davis’ formal breakout year in his sophomore season, three of the top four 2013-14 Pelicans in terms of games played were Al-Farouq Aminu, Anthony Morrow, and somebody named Brian Roberts. In the five years since, the situation has “improved” to include Jrue Holiday (a legit good player) and Julius Randle, plus, uh, Darius Miller and E’Twaun Moore. Not much has changed, is my point, and Davis’ extreme efforts have only managed to get his squad to the playoffs twice — securing one surprise win in 2018. In the right situation, one in which he would not have to carry the entire load himself, it’s easy to see how Davis would flourish even more. In terms of the modern NBA, there’s nothing he can’t do to help a team win. As a pick-and-roller, Davis can finish any kind of shot at the rim (where he’s currently shooting 75 percent). As a pick-and-pop man, Davis is solidly above 40 percent. And as noted, he can step out and shoot the three when required, putting up between 1.8 and 3.0 attempts per game over the past four seasons and averaging 30-34 percent from deep. All of his other offensive numbers have also continued on this steady upward trend. On defense, meanwhile, Davis is a terror with long arms, quick feet, insane hops, and the ability to recover ground fast. He’s been averaging over two blocks a game for almost his entire career. This year, the Pelicans’ net rating swings by 7.7 points when Davis is on the court versus when he’s off it. To say they were ever playoff contenders in the West is to admit Davis’ talents are superhuman. The case here for the Raptors is easy enough to make. They want to win an NBA title and have approximately one player (Kawhi Leonard) with the proven skills to do it. The teams Toronto will be going up against — namely, the Warriors — have sometimes two or three (or four?) of those types of players. The math could end right there — and that’s before considering that if Kawhi leaves after next season, the championship window for the Raptors shuts hard. A Raptors team built this season around Kawhi, AD, and Kyle Lowry could absolutely compete for and win an NBA title, especially one that boasts a couple of complementary players like Danny Green, Fred VanVleet, and Serge Ibaka. If everything after that celebratory outcome fell apart, well, I think most of us would live with that. Before we get into transactions: it’s worth noting that Davis is signed through to the 2019-2020 season. (He has a player option for 2020-21, but we can safely assume Davis would opt of that to re-negotiate whatever situation he found himself in by then.) If the Raptors and Pelicans did pull the trigger on a deal right now, Toronto would have Davis for this run with Kawhi, and then another season to try and muster one last charge (with or without Kawhi). And if they opted to trade him much like the Pelicans are now, they could reload their own coffers with assets and such while sitting on at least one huge expiring deal in Lowry. Not a bad situation, all things considered. The Price for Davis Ah, but of course it would cost a lot to get Davis to Toronto. In fact, it would likely cost more than the Raptors actually have. Davis is, as mentioned, one of the best players in the league, and he’s on the book to make between $25 and $27 million for this season and the next. The two major things needed therefore in any Davis trade are, first, salary weight, and second, appreciating assets. The Raptors have a decent amount of the former, and not enough of the latter. But nevertheless, we continue. For the Raptors, any Davis trade has to involve one of either Jonas Valanciunas or Serge Ibaka, for salary-matching purposes, but also for likely roster balance.<doc-sep>The Toronto Raptors are still a longshot to land Anthony Davis. However, the rumblings are getting louder. Here’s everything you need to know. The Toronto Raptors have already made their move this season. DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard was THE trade. Toronto made their catapult to actual contention, rather than the faux-finals contenders we watched the past three seasons. If they land Anthony Davis, they become the prohibitive favorites to reach the NBA finals. An Anthony Davis trade is still a longshot at this time. Toronto is not on the shortlist of places Davis would likely re-sign, and other teams will make the market ultra-competitive. However, the Raptors do have enough assets to match most teams, and Anthony Davis is the type of player you give up assets for, even with no promises. Who’s the favorite? The Toronto Raptors aren’t quite the betting favorites to land Kawhi Leonard. However, according to BetOnline, they are in the running. The online gambling site currently has the Raptors with +300 odds to land the New Orleans superstar prior to the 2019-2020 season, giving them approximately a 25-percent chance. A couple of factors to quell your excitement. +300 is not a great number. A 25-percent chance is the value given to the public. When you account for the house’s cut, it’s probably closer to 10-percent. The odds are for the 2019-2020 season. It’s possible, although unlikely, that Toronto would make their hypothetical move this offseason. Two teams rank ahead of the Raptors. Realistically, the Raptors probably rank 4th or 5th in the race to acquire AD. Who’s (hypothetically) leaving The trade starts with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and salary filler. If New Orleans has their eye on someone else reasonable, they can have him too. Without a first rounder to trade this year, Toronto will need to involve at least 2021 and possibly 2023. Protections will also be an important part of negotiations. Logistically, the salary filler will need to include either Jonas Valanciunas or Serge Ibaka. Toronto will fight hard to include Valanciunas rather than Serge, however, the Pelicans hold all the cards here. What’s the backup plan With Kawhi and AD, Toronto becomes the favorite outside of the Bay Area. However, if they aren’t able to accomplish their goals — or if they do and Kawhi Leonard leaves anyways — Davis will likely be flipped again. Toronto will still be able to find value around the league for Davis. Boston and L.A. will fight for Davis’ Bird Rights, the ability to offer a larger contract, and most importantly, a full season of Davis. Toronto won’t get back the same return the sent out, but they’d still have something to start the rebuild if Kawhi walks, a rebuild they would likely need to undertake anyways. Again, any deal for Davis is still a longshot at this point. However, Kawhi Leonard was a longshot at one point too. Be excited Raptor fans. KG VOICE: “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!! !”<doc-sep>
The timing of the trade request could benefit the Toronto Raptors in the long haul. Anthony Davis had 25 points and 20 rebounds against the Raptors on November 12 As reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski earlier this week, Anthony Davis has requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. There are lots of questions to be asked: Why now? How did we get here? Who can offer the best package? One team that has not been linked directly to Davis is the Toronto Raptors. That doesn't mean they aren't among the teams most impacted by the news emanating from New Orleans. Here are several reasons why Monday's developments directly impact the Raptors. Keeping Davis away from Boston As speculation has simmered over the last few months regarding a potential Davis trade, many expected that we would not cross this bridge until the summer when the Pelicans could offer Davis a 5-year super-max contract extension worth $240 million. If he rejected that extension, it would be a clear sign that it's time for New Orleans to move on and trade him rather than lose their franchise player for nothing when he can walk as a free agent in 2020. The Boston Celtics have a war chest of assets that can likely trump any other team's package. In addition to high-ceiling young studs like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on team-friendly rookie contracts, they have a stockpile of future draft picks including the Clippers' 1st-round pick (top-14 protected), the Grizzlies' 1st-round pick (top-8 protected in 2019, top-6 protected in 2020 and unprotected in 2021) and whichever 2019 1st-round pick is higher between either the 76ers (top-1 protected) or Kings. They also own all of their own picks. Long story short: it's really hard to compete against Boston when it comes to offering up an enticing package. The problem for Boston? It can't trade for Davis now unless it gives up Kyrie Irving. Since teams can't trade for multiple players signed under the 'Rose Rule', the Celtics either have to wait until Irving is on a new deal (he becomes a free agent this summer) to trade for Davis or trade away Irving. That's why the timing is so critical. Keeping Kawhi You might have heard: Kawhi Leonard is going to be a free agent this summer. So what does an Anthony Davis trade request have to do with that? Outside of the Celtics, the team most often linked to Anthony Davis speculation is the Los Angeles Lakers. It's no secret that they are desperate to find a second star to pair with LeBron James and given that Davis and James share an agent, well ... it's not difficult to connect the dots. https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/NBA_Global_CMS_image_storage/5e/52/lebron-james-and-anthony-davis-shake-hands-after-a-game-in-los-angeles-earlier-this-season_1erhqgu24pcxg10mh47qo2z1hj.png?t=-1799966200&w=500 There is certainly no guarantee that Davis is traded to the Lakers. There's no guarantee that the Pelicans trade him at all. But for the sake of this argument, let's say that this story ends with Davis suited up alongside James in purple and gold. It's hard enough to win in a conference with the Golden State Warriors. Add a superstar tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to the mix and suddenly the climb to the top of the Western Conference seems almost insurmountable. Perhaps that could be a factor weighing on Kawhi Leonard's free agency decision. Can the Raptors trade for Davis? In theory, sure. There's certainly nothing preventing them from picking up the phone although I certainly wouldn't count on it. If you tried to build a trade package for Davis, it would likely include some combination of Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby and Serge Ibaka plus multiple picks. Since the Raptors already owe the Spurs their 2019 1st-round pick, the earliest pick they could offer would be in 2021 as you cannot trade 1st-round picks in consecutive years. Would that even get it done? The Pelicans are likely going to receive better trade packages. Even if they don't, that's a massive gamble for Masai Ujiri as it's completely unloading the future for a shot at winning now and with no guarantee that either Leonard or Davis stays beyond their current contracts. Would a team of Leonard, Davis and Lowry guarantee a championship? With the Warriors still standing, probably not. Lose both and you're looking at a 2020-21 roster that has exactly one guaranteed contract: Norman Powell. Since any Davis trade presumably included a 2021 1st-round pick, that's a tough pill to swallow moving forward if you're the Raptors.