The Toronto Raptors love to pursue star players on the trade market. They got into the mix for Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Durant. They successfully landed Kawhi Leonard and won a title. But with Anrthony Davis likely to hit the market, they cannot realistically trade for him -- and it's their own fault.
The Dallas Mavericks have been the center of attention this season, and honestly ever since GM Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis in February. That misguided and mishandled trade came with a timer that just hit zeroes, and Harrison was fired Tuesday as the Mavericks began the season 3-8.
Harrison was never going to trade Davis, the centerpiece of the Doncic trade for Dallas; to do so was to admit the trade was a mistake. Dallas is now free of factoring in Nico's ego into their strategy, so a trade for Davis feels almost inevitable.
While he is 32 years old, has a robust injury history and is making $54 million, there should be at least a small group of suitors for Davis on the trade market. When healthy he remains a Top-10 defender in the sport, and that translates into the postseason in a way other top defenders do not. He is a devastating play finisher and elite rebounder. Pair him with an above-average playmaker and he can sing.
Top 15 players in the NBA do not come available very often, and when they do, the Toronto Raptors tend to chase after them. The combination of the cold and being in another country often limits their ability to add players in free agency, and they are rarely bad enough to get to the very top of the draft lottery. Thus, the trade market.
The idea of Anthony Davis on this version of the Raptors is intriguing to be certain. While he is not a true stretch-5, Davis does have a reasonable jumper and has more range than someone like Jakob Poeltl who can only score inside the charge circle. And similarly, while he isn't an elite switch big like Bam Adebayo or Draymond Green, he is much more mobile than Poeltl or other drop-only bigs and would pair well with the likes of Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles.
The problem? The Raptors cannot possibly trade for Anthony Davis because of the contract extension that they just handed to Jakob Poeltl.
The foolish Poeltl extension prevents an Anthony Davis trade
The previous statement is true for a number of reasons. This past summer the Raptors and Poeltl agreed to a three-year, $84 million contract extension that will pay Poeltl an average of $28 million for his age 32-34 seasons. That extension will not kick in until 2027-28, meaning Poeltl is under contract for the next five seasons at above-average starting center money.
The first way that extension prevents a trade is literally; Poeltl is not eligible to be traded until January 7th, two months away, by which time another team may make their move for Davis. He cannot be included in a deal for Davis or any other center until that point in the season.
Secondly, the extension gets in the way because every other team in the NBA likely sees the deal as a massive albatross. From the moment the deal was signed, Poeltl became nearly untradeable; no one wants to pay a limited big man like Poeltl that kind of money for another five full seasons. If the Raptors call the Mavericks and try to include Jakob Peoltl in the deal, their interim front office is handing up the phone.
Finally, Poeltl's extension prohibits the Raptors making the move for Davis without him in it. He and Davis would be a terrible fit on the court, and he makes so much money that he would be stuck clogging up their books for years as Davis's backup. They cannot expect to trade for Davis and then move Poeltl in a separate trade. And a Scottie Barnes - Davis - Poeltl front court may as well be asking for a bottom-5 offense.
The Raptors should be intrigued by the possibility of trading for Anthony Davis. Then they should look in the mirror and realize that they cannot, and they only have themselves to blame. The Poeltl extension was a mistake then, and that's already coming around to bite them in the butt.