Raptors set to acquire point guard Kyle Lowry in trade with Rockets

The Raptors have landed a top-tier point guard, after all.

Just one day after free agent Steve Nash agreed to join the Lakers rather than accept the Raptors' reported three-year, $36 million offer, sources confirmed that Toronto has landed Kyle Lowry in a deal with Houston. The Rockets will receive a future first-round pick and 27-year-old small forward Gary Forbes in exchange. The pick includes protections, though specifics on that front were not immediately known.

In landing Lowry, Toronto was able to recover very nicely from the disappointment of missing out on Nash. The Raptors aggressively pursued the two-time MVP: They not only offered him the most money (Nash was given a three-year, $27 million deal with the Lakers), but they also offered him a chance to return to his native country and possibly have front-office opportunities once his playing days are over.

While Lowry doesn't have Nash's star power or local appeal, the 26 year old is one of the game's best budding point guards and should fit nicely with the Raptors' young core. He averaged 14.3 points and 6.6 assists for the Rockets last season, but missed most of the second half of the season with a bacterial infection.