Kyle Lowry will remain a member of the Toronto Raptors, despite what many felt was a farewell on Wednesday night, including a FaceTime from Drake, and weeks of rumors that the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers were all in on discussions.
The Raptors are keeping Kyle Lowry, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Lowry’s name has been bandied about all year due to the Raptors’ struggles and the possibility that he would want to move on to be on a contender once again, but it seems a deal couldn’t be struck. After the Sixers traded for George Hill, it seemed they would no longer be putting a massive offer on the table for Lowry, and reports emerged that there were sticking points with the Lakers and Heat deals that apparently never let it cross the finish line. The Lakers were apparently unwilling to part with Talen Horton-Tucker, who is by far their most promising young player, while the Heat refused to put Tyler Herro into their Duncan Robinson-centric package.
The anticipation for a Lowry deal was building throughout the day, as the Raptors seemed to pave the way for the deal with a pair of smaller moves earlier in the day, moving Matt Thomas to the Jazz and Terence Davis to the Kings, each for a second round pick.
Toronto is trading guard Matt Thomas to the Utah Jazz for a future second-round pick, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Toronto is trading guard Terrence Davis to Sacramento for a future second round pick, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Those deals felt like they were opening roster spots to make a Lowry move, but one never materialized. The Raptors did make one major trade, dealing Norman Powell to the Blazers for Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr. earlier in the day, landing a younger shooter in Trent who will be a restricted free agent this summer as it appeared likely they wouldn’t be able to keep Powell as he hits unrestricted free agency. By keeping Lowry, they keep the heart and soul of the franchise and will likely continue their push for a spot in the play-in.
On the season, Lowry has averaged 17.4 points, 7.5 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. While the team is 18-26 this season, it does have a young core in OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet that is still capable of competing in the second half of this year and, if there wasn’t a strong deal to upgrade for the future out there for Lowry, they’d rather keep the franchise legend than deal him for less than they feel he is worth.
