After a dizzying flurry of reports over the past day about negotiations involving the Sixers, Lakers and Heat, Kyle Lowry is not going anywhere.
The Raptors’ six-time All-Star is staying in Toronto.
Multiple reports indicated the Raptors had a high asking price for Lowry, and Toronto president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri ultimately decided to keep the franchise icon. Lowry, who turned 35 years old Thursday, has a $30 million salary this season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier that the Raptors sent guard Norman Powell to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood.
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The Sixers on Thursday landed point guard George Hill in a three-team trade with the Thunder and Knicks.
Lowry sticking with Toronto was not the only relevant development for the Sixers in the final hours before Thursday afternoon's deadline. Below are several other reported trades of interest:
Victor Oladipo traded to Heat (Reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania)
Though Miami didn’t pick up Lowry, the team acquired one of the bigger names available, sending Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and a pick swap to the Rockets.
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Oladipo will leave a team that recently snapped a 20-game losing streak to join the 22-22 Heat, who seem to have confidence they can contend after being decimated by COVID-19 protocols earlier in the year. A two-time All-Star, Oladipo averaged 21.2 points, 5.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds for Houston after being dealt from Indiana, making only 40.7 percent of his field goals and 32.0 percent of his three-pointers. It will be interesting to see how he fits alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Nemanja Bjelica traded to Heat (Reported by Wojnarowski, confirmed by NBC Sports Bay Area’s James Ham)
The Sixers reportedly had interest in Bjelica, a veteran forward who backed out of a free-agent deal with them in 2018. He figures to fill a portion of Olynyk’s role as a stretch big man.
JJ Redick traded to Mavericks (Reported by Charania)
Redick was a logical possibility for the Sixers given his positive relationships with the team’s stars and head coach Doc Rivers, as well as his previous strong on-court partnership with Joel Embiid. He never hit the buyout market, though, with Dallas shipping James Johnson, Wes Iwundu and a second-round pick to the Pelicans in exchange for Redick and Nicolo Melli.
Lonzo Ball staying with Pelicans (Reported by Wojnarowski)
Wojnarowski on Tuesday night named the Sixers as among the teams with interest in Ball, who’s turned himself into a good three-point shooter and would’ve theoretically paired well with Ben Simmons in transition. The 23-year-old will become a restricted free agent after this season.
Simmons, Hill, Shake Milton and Seth Curry now project to be the Sixers’ main ball handling options post-deadline.
Evan Fournier traded to Celtics (Reported by Wojnarowski)
The Magic were sellers Thursday, dealing away Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Fournier. They got two second-round picks in exchange for Fournier, who Boston will hope can relieve some of the scoring burden on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Attention turns to the buyout market
With trades wrapped up, the buyout market is still potentially pertinent for the Sixers. Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reported the Spurs will buy out veteran forward LaMarcus Aldridge, while the Cavs and Andre Drummond will work on a buyout. Wojnarowski reported the Heat are “expected to emerge as a frontrunner” to sign Aldridge.
A brief recap of the logistics: With the example of Aldridge, the Spurs will buy out his contract and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. Any team is then free to sign him, provided its salary cap situation permits it to do so and a roster spot is available.
After trading away Tony Bradley, Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier and acquiring Hill and Ignas Brazdeikis, the Sixers have one open roster spot. Since they only used a small portion of their taxpayer mid-level exception this offseason in signing rookie Isaiah Joe, the team has approximately $4.8 million to spend.
A player must be waived by April 9 in order to be eligible for the playoffs.