With the NBA trade deadline rapidly approaching, Anthony Davis recently requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. It's uncertain if the Pelicans will grant Davis his wish before the deadline or simply wait until the upcoming offseason.

Either way, the big man isn't happy with the direction that the Pelicans are going. Many teams—if not all—are going to muster up any package they could possibly come up with to land the superstar power forward.

Of course, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics have reportedly shown interest in trying to acquire Davis. A dark horse team who could go under the radar in the Davis sweepstakes are the Portland Trail Blazers.

anthony davis

The Trail Blazers are currently the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They are led by their big three of Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic. The only problem that arises when talking of a possibility of Davis going to Portland is: who would they trade?

If a trade did somehow happen between the Trail Blazers and Pelicans, the Trail Blazers would most certainly need to include one of their top three players. Therefore, it would be likely that Nurkic would be the one who would be the odd man out.

Again, it's unlikely that the Pelicans view Portland as a team they can get the best return from. In this hypothetical situation let's say the Trail Blazers manage to acquire Davis with Nurkic, a few other players, and future picks.

Does Anthony Davis make the Trail Blazers serious contenders in the NBA? With a trio of Lillard, McCollum, and Davis it would definitely elevate them near the top of the Western Conference.

The one question everyone asks though—especially in the Western Conference—is whether or not that team is good enough to take down the Golden State Warriors.

To me, a Trail Blazers team that included Davis wouldn't be able to defeat the Warriors. Although they would become contenders with Davis, it's hard to see that team beating the Warriors.

Anthony Davis

As of now, it's hard to see any team in the NBA being able to dethrone the Warriors at that. The Warriors will be even deadlier when DeMarcus Cousins gets to full strength.

If the Trail Blazers were able to land Davis, they would lack depth. Currently, the Trail Blazers lack a strong bench. So far this season, Portland averages just 34.8 points per game from their bench (21st in the NBA).

You add Davis to that equation and that even lessens the production from their bench. To defeat the Warriors, you either need a star-studded roster or a deep one.

The Warriors boast arguably the greatest starting lineup in NBA history. You have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Cousins.

No team can come close to matching up with that. What makes it even harder is that you have to beat that team four times in seven games. Good luck.

Anthony Davis

So would the Trail Blazers be a contender if they traded for Davis? Technically yes but they'd likely still fall short to the Warriors or even another team.

I doubt Lillard, McCollum, and Davis would be content with being a runner-up in the postseason. Acquiring Davis would definitely propel Portland to the top three teams in the West though.

Although acquiring Davis would seem nice at first, the Trail Blazers would be better trying to add someone in free agency than get rid of their depth to acquire someone who may not even re-sign long-term.