The Toronto Raptors are stuck in the dreaded NBA gray area: good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy this summer. They could change that with a blockbuster move before the Feb. 5 NBA Trade Deadline, but will they?

If the Raptors do get a star this season, it likely won't be 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis. They're no longer in significant trade talks for the oft-injured big man, per The Stein Line's Jake Fischer. 

Davis is averaging 20.4 points on 50.6 percent shooting (27raptors percent 3-point) with 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals over 31.3 minutes for the Dallas Mavericks this season. The 32-year-old has played 20 games and hasn't played since Jan. 8 due to a finger injury. He'll be reevaluated in February, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

If healthy, Davis can anchor any team's defense and is a dominant force on the glass on both ends. The 6-foot-10, 235-pounder could round out a star frontcourt trio in Toronto with Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram in the unlikely event that Toronto lands him. 

However, Davis has played 65-plus games in a season just once since the 2018-19 campaign, his last with the New Orleans Pelicans. The former NBA champion is also expensive, as he's making $54.1 million this season, $58.4 million next season, and has a $62.7 million player option for the 2027-28 season. 

Which star would be a more reliable investment for the Raptors to put next to Barnes and Ingram?

Toronto would have an easier time fitting another star's expensive contract into its payroll if it sheds two of the NBA's worst contracts: Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl. 

Quickley is in the second year of a five-year, $162.5 million contract and will earn $32.5 million each season until it expires in 2029. The 26-year-old averages 16.9 points on 43.5 percent shooting with 6.3 assists this season, and profiles more as a backup guard for a contending team rather than an All-Star, which is what he's paid like. 2025 All-Star Tyler Herro has an average annual salary of $30 million, for example.

Poeltl is making $19.5 million this season and next season before his new three-year extension kicks in, which runs through 2030. The 30-year-old center has a $28 million average annual salary on that extension, but he averages just 9.7 points with 7.7 rebounds and 0.5 blocks.

The Raptors are currently $953,000 under the first apron and $12.8 million under the second, so taking on another big contract would limit their flexibility. However, they could acquire someone like Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis if they move at least one of Quickley or Poeltl. Sabonis is making $42.3 million this season, and Fischer reported that they're interested in him.