Raptors & 3 Other New Suitors Linked to Anthony Davis

There's been plenty of talk about the possibility of Anthony Davis winding up back in his hometown with the Chicago Bulls. But according to NBA insider Shams Charania, there are three teams that consider themselves actual contenders this season that will emerge as suitors for AD, and that includes the conference-leading Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors.

Shams:

“Three Eastern Conference teams WILL emerge as suitors for Anthony Davis, are the Pistons, Raptors, and the Atlanta Hawks.”

“You’re looking at packages around role players, picks, potentially expiring contracts.”

“There’s a group of Eastern Conference contenders… pic.twitter.com/ZYd332HEXg
— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) December 9, 2025

“Three Eastern Conference teams that I'm told will emerge as suitors for Anthony Davis, are the Pistons, Raptors, and the Atlanta Hawks.

"You’re looking at packages around role players, picks, potentially expiring contracts.”

Davis has spent his entire career in the Western Conference—and a large chunk of that time in street clothes and unable to play due to a myriad of injuries.

Davis, 32, is a 10-time All-Star and, earlier in his career, a perennial contender for Defensive Player of the Year. But he's only topped the 60-game mark twice in the last seven seasons, and three times played only half the season or less.

An Anthony Davis trade is a huge gamble for any team with serious playoff aspirations

For a team with deep postseason aspirations to count on the oft-injured big man to be healthy and available for a playoff run seems to be a real stretch and a huge gamble. It's hard to imagine any of those teams giving up valuable assets for that long-shot of a risk.

It remains to be seen if the Dallas Mavericks are able to con any of these teams to take Davis off their hands. He played just nine games in the entire second half of last season after the Mavs made that ill-fated trade for him, and this year, has only just recently returned after another long absence, playing only 10 games total thus far.