The Toronto Raptors are heading for a list transformation at Thursday’s NBA trading deadline, engaging in talks on several fronts centered on separate offers for six All-Star goalie Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell, sources told ESPN.
In the last year of his contract, Lowry’s chances of leaving Toronto in a transaction are gaining more and more. Powell’s future has become much less about whether he will be moved, but which of a dozen suitors will acquire him.
The Raptors – those who lost nine times, finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference – will hold talks on Wednesday, with a deadline for trading on Thursday at 15:00.
Philadelphia and Miami have hired Toronto at Lowry, and league sources said there are more teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences, giving Toronto President Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster to weigh the possibility of acceptance. a return on future assets instead of bending. on Lowry for a playoff final round.
Lowry, who turns 35 on Thursday, grew up in Philadelphia and played college at Villanova. A transaction to the Sixers would be a return home, but Lowry had an open mind about a number of potential destinations, sources said. Lowry has no veto power over a deal, but the Raptors leadership is considering Lowry’s wishes, given his monumental role in the franchise’s rise in the playoffs, including a 2019 NBA championship and his place in the Canadian sporting tradition. .
Lowry, who is earning $ 30.5 million this season, will be looking for a new contract in the off-season.
Philadelphia has discussed separate agreements with Toronto for both Lowry and Powell, sources said. Sixers also asked about other guards available on the market, including George Hill of Oklahoma City and Lonzo Ball of New Orleans, sources said.
By moving Lowry and Powell, the Raptors would accelerate a rebuild built around three young players they have invested in with long-term contracts: goalkeepers Fred VanVleet and strikers Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
The kidnappers were decimated by COVID-19 problems and injuries, reaching 17-26 overall. The franchise’s rise to the playoffs is quite steep, especially in a season when the team plays away from Canada in Tampa, Florida.
Powell, 27, has the best season in the NBA, averaging 19.7 points and scoring 43% with triples. He expects to turn down the $ 11.6 million option in his contract for the 2021-2022 season and become a free agent this summer. The teams that consider trading for him prefer to find a way to sign him in a new agreement and not give up assets to have him as a lease for the rest of the season.
The Raptors have a number of options with a Powell transaction – a number of combinations of young players, draft picks and expiring contracts for future flexibility.