Report: Kyle Lowry Opted to Stay With Raptors at Trade Deadline

During his time as an NBA executive, Daryl Morey has built a reputation for taking big swings. Last season he attempted two blockbuster trades in an attempt to increase the Sixers' chances of competing for a championship. 

The first came in the early weeks of the season when Morey tried to swing a trade with his former team for a disgruntled James Harden. Despite headlining a package with Ben Simmons, Houston sent the former MVP to Brooklyn in a multi-team deal. 

When the Toronto Raptors started shopping All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry around the trade deadline, Morey was again one of the last men standing in the sweepstakes. Because of the absurd asking price Toronto wanted for Lowry, he finished the season with the Raptors. 

Lowry recently appeared on CJ McCollum's 'Pull Up' podcast, and the two discussed how things transpired at the deadline. According to him, it was his own decision to not be traded. In the end, the longtime Raptor wanted to end the season with "his guys." 

In hindsight, holding on to Lowry past the deadline did not hurt Toronto's situation. Masai Ujiri still walked away with multiple assets in the sign-and-trade for Lowry in the offseason. Kudos to him for giving the franchise cornerstone a say in what happened with his fate. 

Acquiring Lowry would have turned the Sixers into bonafide contenders, but it appears they weren't as close as it seemed. Despite strong connections to Morey and Philadelphia, Lowry's sights were set on south beach. 

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.