Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry said Tuesday the value of the contract offers and the ability to compete for titles will be crucial to his decision as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

"Money talks, and years talk," Lowry told reporters. "... At the end of the day, I want to make sure my family is taken care of for generations."

He added: "I want more championships."

Eric Koreen of The Athletic noted that Lowry will not be retiring.

Lowry, a 2006 first-round pick of the Memphis Grizzlies, has played for the Raptors since 2012, when the Villanova product was acquired in a trade with the Houston Rockets.

The 35-year-old Philadelphia native has become one of the best players in Raptors history, highlighted by helping lead the team to the 2019 NBA title alongside Kawhi Leonard, who left after capturing the championship to join the Los Angeles Clippers.

The point guard remained in Toronto, but after reaching the conference semifinals last year, the Raptors faded to a 27-45 record and missed the playoffs this season.

Lowry wouldn't commit to staying with the organization, saying "decisions will be made."

"Toronto is a home to me. Obviously it's a great situation for me," he said.

The six-time All-Star was a popular focus of trade rumors leading up to the deadline in March, frequently being linked to his hometown 76ers, but he wasn't dealt in the end.

Now he'll have the opportunity to survey the free-agent market to see which team can offer the best combination of financial value, championship outlook and his role within the squad.

Lowry should have plenty of suitors as he's remained productive in his mid-30s. He averaged 17.2 points, 7.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 threes while shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc in 46 appearances during the 2020-21 campaign.

The Sixers remain a team to watch in the Lowry pursuit as they look for a potential backcourt partner for Ben Simmons, while the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks are among the teams that figure to seek point guard upgrades this summer.

That said, it wouldn't be a total surprise if he ends up back in Toronto if the front office offers a competitive contract offer.

With the NBA season winding down, members of the Toronto Raptors are looking forward to a well-earned vacation.

Toronto is four games back of the Washington Wizards for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, so failing to make the playoffs is a near-certainty at this point. The Raptors fell in overtime to the Wizards on Thursday, with TSN's Josh Lewenberg writing they "probably didn’t lose sleep over the loss."

"To little surprise, there are players on the team and people within the organization who have been counting down the days until they can pack their bags, take their families and get out of Tampa on the morning of May 17, per sources," Lewenberg reported. "It’s hard to blame them, all things considered."

As Lewenberg explained, a number of factors have led Toronto to mentally check out by this point. 

On a pair of occasions, the franchise was without key personnel for multiple games because of positive COVID-19 tests. That played a role in the team winning only one game over the month of March.

Star player Pascal Siakam was suspended for one game in December for disciplinary reasons and then got into a heated argument with head coach Nick Nurse in March.

In general, the Raptors have been stuck in the NBA's version of purgatory, where they're neither good enough to contend for a title nor bad enough to throw in the towel entirely to focus on lottery odds.

All of this has transpired as the organization was forced to play home games thousands of miles away from Toronto. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has all but eliminated traditional home-court atmospheres for the time being, Raptors players and staffers have had their entire routines upended for months.

It's not all that different from the difficulties the players in the NBA's Walt Disney World Resort bubble faced last season.

If the Raptors were near the top of the East right now, then playing in Tampa would probably remain at least a little more tolerable. But nobody can blame them for wanting to conclude what's effectively a lost season.

The Toronto Raptors were fined $25,000 by the league for a failure to comply with policies on rest and injury reporting, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

A release from the league did not name specific players or games that led to the incident.

The Raptors, who are in 10th place at 23-34 and vying for an Eastern Conference play-in spot, have been busy editing their injury report over the last few days.

They rested Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam on Friday against the Orlando Magic, who are 14th in the Eastern Conference. OG Anunoby was also slated to rest that game, but his status was changed to right knee swelling pregame, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.

Gary Trent Jr. (ankle), DeAndre' Bembry (hamstring) and Jalen Harris (hip) were also doubtful for that game, but Bembry came off the list and played that night.

The Raptors are back in action Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder before a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet expressed dismay Saturday with the 2020-21 NBA season, saying it is being held to make money rather than for the enjoyment of the game.

According to TSN's Josh Lewenberg, VanVleet said:

"To be honest, this is probably the most un-pure year of basketball I've ever been a part of, just from the whole league and rushing the season back. It's pretty much all about business this year on every level. It's hard to hide it now.

"The NBA is a great balance of the pure love and joy of one of the best sports in the world mixed with a billion dollar industry, and I think this year the industry side is taking precedent over some of the love and the joy... But there are good days and bad days.

"We did vote on what season we wanted, they gave a few options and most of the players picked this option. So we're in it, which is why I can't complain about it, but I can point out that this is what is and the pros and cons that come with that. It's very conflicting."

This season has been a struggle for the Raptors (23-34), as they are a disappointing 10th in the Eastern Conference.

Perhaps part of the reason for their lack of success has been their displacement, as Canada's COVID-19 protocols have forced them to play their home games in Tampa, Florida.

The 2019-20 season ended much later than usual after it was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That led to a quick turnaround for the 2020-21 season.

Only 72 days separated the last game of the 2020 NBA Finals and the first game of this campaign, which gave teams that participated in the 2019-20 restart little time to prepare.

The Raptors reached the second round of the playoffs last season, meaning they were among the eight teams with the shortest offseasons.

Toronto won its first NBA championship in 2018-19, and there was hope among Raptors fans that the team would vie for another title this season, but the Raptors have not looked the part of a contender.

That isn't the fault of the 27-year-old VanVleet, though, as he has enjoyed the best statistical season of his five-year career and established himself as one of the best undrafted players in recent memory.

In 45 games, VanVleet is averaging 19.5 points, 6.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 3.3 three-pointers per contest while shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from beyond the arc.

If the regular season ended today, the Raptors would be one of four Eastern Conference teams to take part in the play-in tournament for the postseason, though they are up by only percentage points over the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards for the 10th seed.

The NBA's decision to start the season in December rather than give players a longer offseason was undoubtedly financially influenced, especially since it became clear teams would not play in full arenas this season.

That decision has been financially beneficial to the players as well since they're earning full salaries, but it has also put them in a tough position in terms of physical and mental health.

VanVleet recently returned from a hip injury and will look to play a big role in the Raptors' late-season push.

Perhaps if Toronto makes the play-in tournament and then qualifies for the postseason, it will make the season a more enjoyable experience for VanVleet.

The Los Angeles Lakers are slowly but surely playing better basketball without LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Los Angeles improved to 32-19 on the season with a 110-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday at Amalie Arena. Talen Horton-Tucker, Markieff Morris, Marc Gasol, Dennis Schroder and Alex Caruso led the way for the Lakers, who are 4-2 in their last six as they look to avoid plummeting down the Western Conference standings without their two stars.

Solid showings from Pascal Siakam, Chris Boucher and DeAndre' Bembry were not enough for the Raptors, who were without Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet and fell to 20-31 as their two-game winning streak came to an end.

OG Anunoby and Montrezl Harrell were both ejected after this WILD play 😳 https://t.co/yjndrs3ZkA

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 7, 2021

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Notable Player Stats

• Talen Horton-Tucker, G, LAL: 17 PTS, 6 AST, 4 REB
• Marc Gasol, C, LAL: 13 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST, 4 BLK
• Markieff Morris, F, LAL: 15 PTS, 9 REB
• Alex Caruso, G, LAL: 13 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
• Dennis Schroder, G, LAL: 12 PTS, 9 AST, 2 STL
• Pascal Siakam, F, TOR: 27 PTS, 7 REB, 2 STL
• Chris Boucher, F, TOR: 19 PTS, 8 REB
• DeAndre' Bembry, G, TOR: 12 PTS, 5 REB, 5 STL, 3 AST

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Lakers on Cruise Control from the Start

Head coach Frank Vogel told reporters Andre Drummond was also out prior to Tuesday's game, which meant the team had one fewer option that could lead the way in the absence of James and Davis.

It has been a different person in Los Angeles' last three wins, with Montrezl Harrell leading the team in scoring against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Schroder doing so against the Orlando Magic and Kyle Kuzma pacing the scoring against the Sacramento Kings.

Harrell removed himself from consideration early when he and Raptors forward OG Anunoby were ejected in the first quarter.

pic.twitter.com/4dQzHkkf71

— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) April 7, 2021

Alex Caruso is always ready to put his body on the line.

(📺: @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/Owg0hFrG9Q

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 7, 2021

Everybody firing the arrows tonight! 🏹🏹🏹 pic.twitter.com/NPtCjy5kvB

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 7, 2021

Keef up to three treys in one quarter 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/J5zWMII41Z

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 7, 2021

Aggressive from the start 😤

(📺: @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/KLqTKtUE5Z

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 6, 2021

Schroder committed a hard foul on Anunoby, who then unleashed something of a wrestling move to toss the point guard on the ground. Harrell then came running over and started shoving members of the Raptors, which left both teams even more short-handed than they already were at the start of the game.

The sequence didn't stop the Lakers from seizing complete control right away while building a 26-point halftime lead.

Schroder played the role of facilitator with red-hot shooting around him. The Lakers drilled 13 triples in the first half alone with Morris, Kuzma, Caruso and Wesley Matthews combining for 10 of them. Gasol was also impressive against his former team while battling for boards and facilitating from the elbow.

The second half was largely a formality from there, which was a welcome development for the Purple and Gold. While they don't need home-court advantage to win a title, every victory they can get without Davis and James will help prevent them from falling in the standings and creating more difficult matchups.

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Short-Handed Raptors Can't Overcome Offensive Struggles

It's not too often a team can fall to 18-30 with a 1-13 stretch and still be right in the middle of the playoff hunt just two wins later, but that was the situation the short-handed Raptors found themselves in entering play Tuesday.

In a testament to the overall weakness of the Eastern Conference and the additional playoff spots available with this season's play-in tournament between the Nos. 7-10 seeds, Toronto entered play just one game behind the Chicago Bulls for the final postseason spot in the East.

Still, the Raptors looked nothing like a playoff team even against a watered-down Lakers squad.

18 & 6 for Chris pic.twitter.com/wm6BwNYMoz

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 7, 2021

need a spark pic.twitter.com/Uy4jBfeLi4

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 7, 2021

While they were fighting an uphill battle without Lowry, VanVleet and Anunoby for most of the game, they also didn't even reach double digits in the second quarter until there was less than two minutes until halftime.

They looked completely lost on offense with Siakam (7-of-21) throwing up bricks against additional defensive attention, Malachi Flynn struggling to hit shots off the bench and the team as a whole shooting 5-of-33 (15.2 percent) from deep. Turnovers weren't even a massive problem with just six at the half.

Instead, the shots weren't falling for a team that has struggled with consistency throughout the season.

The good news for the Raptors is that Lowry and VanVleet will come back and the nature of the Eastern Conference means they are just one small hot streak away from securing a spot in the playoffs. But this franchise looks a long way from its 2019 championship.

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What's Next?

Both teams are in action Thursday when the Raptors host the Bulls and the Lakers travel to face the Miami Heat.

Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry will miss between seven and 10 days because of an infection in his toe.

"It's not going very well," Raptors head coach Nick Nurse told reporters prior to Wednesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This is the second time this season that Lowry has missed time for a toe infection. The six-time All-Star missed two games in January for the first.

The 35-year-old is averaging 17.0 points, a team-high 7.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Raptors.

Lowry has missed his fair share of action this season, most of which stemmed from a sprained left ankle he suffered against the Milwaukee Bucks in February. He missed four games with that injury.

The Villanova product was ruled out of a March 28 contest against the Portland Trail Blazers due to right foot soreness.

Toronto has lost 14 of its last 16 games and is currently 11th in the Eastern Conference standings with an 18-29 record.

Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry will miss Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers because of right foot soreness.

Lowry, 35, has posted 17.2 points, 7.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game for the 18-27 Raps, who are 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Lowry suffered a sprained left ankle during the second quarter of his team's 124-113 upset win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 16. He left the game, returned for the third quarter and soon left for good after he noticeably limped during his second-half on-court time.

The former Villanova star missed four games but returned on Feb. 24 versus the Miami Heat.

Forward Chris Boucher entered the game for Lowry in the third quarter, while Fred VanVleet assumed ball-handling duties at the point. Norman Powell joined VanVleet in the backcourt.

Without Lowry, the Raptors have numerous lineup options. The traditional one would be VanVleet-Powell-OG Anunoby-Pascal Siakam-Aron Baynes. However, if the Raptors want to go smaller, they can opt to start Siakam at the 5 and insert Terence Davis in for the big man in Baynes.

Boucher, who leads the second unit, figures to see a playing time increase regardless. He could close games with Siakam in the frontcourt, with VanVleet, Powell and Anunoby making up the other three spots.

The Toronto Raptors didn't end up moving star point guard Kyle Lowry ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, but dealing him was a possibility. 

"Honestly we didn't know which way it was going to go." Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri told reporters Thursday night. "... We came in today looking at both possible ways."

Ujiri says in his mind, Toronto got close to dealing Lowry. Said there were "a couple of things" that seemed like they could get done but didn't come together.

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) March 25, 2021

Ujiri added that the team would further discuss Lowry's future with him following the season.

On a future with Lowry, Ujiri says "there are all possibilities. We have that respect for him as a player and a person ... you never know when you go through, I don't want to call it a rebuild, but you have to look years ahead."

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) March 25, 2021

Ujiri also told reporters he wanted to send Lowry to a team he wanted to play for and wasn't going to settle on the incoming compensation:

Ujiri confirms that they were limited in market by wanting to do right by Lowry in terms of destination. "We owe him that respect."

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) March 25, 2021

Masai Ujiri: "As far as making our team better, we have to keep our options open." Says the team owes it to its players to be as good as possible the rest of this season.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) March 25, 2021

While the Raptors didn't move on from Lowry despite repeated buzz that the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers weren't interested in acquiring him, they didn't stand pat on Thursday. 

In the team's biggest move of the day, it dealt breakout guard Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood.

"Rodney is more proven and Gary Trent is a 22-year-old with a ton of upside," Ujiri told reporters. "Shooter, defender...he fits the core of our team. That's what we're excited about."

Additionally, Toronto traded Terence Davis to the Sacramento Kings and Matt Thomas to the Utah Jazz for future second-round picks.

Lowry is arguably the greatest Raptor of all time, so keeping him for the rest of the year is a feel-good story for the fans. But his future is still very much up in the air, as he's set to hit free agency in the summer. 

The Raptors are clearly building around Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby and may not want to pay big bucks to keep Lowry, who turned 35 on Thursday. That doesn't mean they'll necessarily lose him for nothing this offseason, however, as he could still be a candidate for a sign-and-trade move. 

For now, the struggling Raptors (18-26) will try to fight their way back into the playoff hunt. It seems likely to be the point guard's last hurrah with the team, though it also seemed likely that Lowry would be traded by Thursday's deadline—and he was a trade candidate in years past—so his story in Toronto may yet have a few more chapters to be written. 

Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry wasn't one of the players moved ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, but the team is "optimistic" they'll be able to put together a sign-and-trade deal this offseason, per USA Today's Mark Medina.  

The six-time All-Star will be a free agent this summer, ahead of his 16th season in the league.

Through 37 games this season, Lowry has averaged 17.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.6 rebounds. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that teams were turned off by the possibility of having to  meet Lowry's contract demands in free agency if they wanted to continue to keep him around following a trade, and those fears "impacted how far teams were willing to go on him." 

Lowry didn't seem too flustered by the trade talk on Wednesday, even as there were reports that linked him to the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers (h/t ESPN's Tim Bontemps): 

"Whatever will be will be, honestly. That's the truth. Whatever will be will be. At the end of the day, everything happens for a reason. You can't control everything, and in some situations you can, but every decision that has happened that I've had a choice in doing has worked out for me very well, and everything will be fine. At the end of the day, everything will be fine no matter what happens."

The Raptors were active at the deadline, moving Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal that brought Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood to a Toronto group that just ended a nine-game losing streak by defeating the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. 

With their new team, they'll be tasked with bringing the Raptors into playoff position, as the team currently sits at 10th in the Eastern Conference at 18-26. 

Kyle Lowry isn't going anywhere.

Despite rampant speculation that he might be traded ahead of the NBA's trade deadline, the Toronto Raptors veteran point guard is staying put, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Toronto was "seriously engaged" in trade talks with the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers ahead of Thursday's deadline, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported the Los Angeles Clippers also got involved.

The teams were unable to work out a deal, and Lowry will finish the 2020-21 season on the team he has spent the majority of his career with.

The 35-year-old has been a member of the Raptors since 2012 after the Houston Rockets traded him to Toronto for a first-round pick. Lowry has thrived in Toronto and has been selected to six All-Star teams. He also helped lead the organization to its first title in the 2018-19 campaign.

He was excellent last year, picking up some of the scoring slack after Kawhi Leonard left by averaging 19.4 points to go along with 7.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He shot 41.6 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from three.

The production has continued this year with averages of 17.4 points and 7.5 assists per game.

At some point, the Raptors were bound to move off their veterans and build around Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby. The team traded Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, per Wojnarowski.

With Lowry set to become a free agent this offseason and Toronto struggling to an 18-26 record, it seemed like a perfect time to start the rebuild.

Instead, the Raptors will ride out their current core.