Masai Ujiri: Raptors ‘Didn’t Know’ If Kyle Lowry Would Be Traded at Closing date
Chris O’Meara/Associated Press
The Toronto Raptors did no longer no longer sleep keen fundamental person point guard Kyle Lowry before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET exchange closing date, but dealing him used to be a likelihood.
“Actually we did no longer know which implies it used to be going to transfer.” Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri advised reporters Thursday evening. “… We came in as of late having a gaze at both that you just would possibly perhaps perhaps maybe well imagine methods.”
Ujiri added that the crew would extra discuss Lowry’s future with him following the season.
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On a future with Lowry, Ujiri says “there are all potentialities. We now be pleased got that admire for him as a participant and an particular person … you never know whilst you happen to undergo, I create no longer deserve to name it a rebuild, but it be fundamental to search out out about years forward.”
Ujiri also advised reporters he wished to ship Lowry to a crew he wished to play for and wasn’t going to resolve on the incoming compensation:
While the Raptors did no longer transfer on from Lowry despite repeated buzz that the Miami Warmth, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers weren’t drawn to shopping him, they did no longer stand pat on Thursday.
Within the crew’s finest transfer of the day, it dealt breakout guard Norman Powell to the Portland Crawl Blazers for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood.
“Rodney is more proven and Gary Trent is a 22-300 and sixty five days-extinct with a ton of upside,” Ujiri advised reporters. “Shooter, defender…he fits the core of our crew. That’s what we’re pondering.”
Additionally, Toronto traded Terence Davis to the Sacramento Kings and Matt Thomas to the Utah Jazz for future 2d-spherical picks.
Lowry is arguably the finest Raptor of all time, so conserving him for the rest of the 300 and sixty five days is a feel-apt legend for the fans. But his future is soundless very powerful up within the air, as he’s residing to hit free company within the summertime.
The Raptors are clearly building around Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby and would possibly perhaps maybe well simply no longer deserve to pay vast bucks to wait on Lowry, who turned 35 on Thursday. That doesn’t indicate they’ll necessarily lose him for nothing this offseason, then every other time, as he would possibly perhaps maybe well soundless be a candidate for a imprint-and-exchange transfer.
For now, the struggling Raptors (18-26) will strive to war their potential relief into the playoff hunt. It appears likely to be the purpose guard’s remaining hurrah with the crew, though it also looked likely that Lowry would be traded by Thursday’s closing date—and he used to be a exchange candidate in years previous—so his legend in Toronto would possibly perhaps maybe well simply yet be pleased just a few more chapters to be written.