The biggest name floating around the NBA trade deadline this season was Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry. The veteran guard is known as a feisty competitor and rumors have been ongoing about where he may land.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat seemed to be the frontrunners as the deadline inched closer.
Lowry would bring toughness and championship mettle to whoever were to acquire him, which is why teams were battling to get the best deal. Reportedly the inclusion of the teams’ prized young players was the sticking point as the Lakers were hesitant on including Talen Horton-Tucker while the Heat preferred not to part with Tyler Herro.
But after going through all of their offers from multiple different teams, the Raptors went with none of them. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Toronto will be keeping Lowry:
The Raptors are keeping Kyle Lowry, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
This came as a huge surprise to everyone in the NBA world as it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Lowry would be dealt. The Raptors have struggled mightily in recent weeks and the veteran Lowry is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
With the Raptors having young players such as Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet to build around, getting a decent haul for Lowry made a ton of sense.
Apparently, the Raptors didn’t care for the trade offers they received and thus made the decision to just stick with Lowry for the rest of the season. Teams were likely wary of giving up too much for a player who will be a free agent this summer, especially when it comes to young pieces.
The Lakers are very high on Horton-Tucker and likely wouldn’t part with him for what could ultimately be a rental piece. The lack of movement doesn’t mean the Lakers won’t make any acquisitions in the buyout market, but the two sides simply couldn’t come to an agreement on the trade deadline’s biggest name.
Lakers to focus on buyout market after no deadline deals
It always seemed more likely that the Lakers would make additions in the buyout market as opposed to a trade and that looks to be precisely the case. With the Lowry trade not happening, and no other deals on the way, the team will now reportedly focus on the buyout market, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
The Lakers have no moves pending, sources tell ESPN. The trade deadline came and went with the roster unchanged. LAL will now turn its focus to the buyout market and has two open roster spots to fill. Team recognizes health will be ultimate factor in potential success this year
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 25, 2021
Center Andre Drummond is already working on a buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers and has long been someone linked with the Lakers. The team does have two open roster spots and there is no doubt that Rob Pelinka will look at all potential options to improve the roster for the remainder of the season.
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