NBA Rumors: Sixers Haven't Called Raptors for a Kyle Lowry Trade
With just a couple of weeks left before the 2021 NBA trade deadline, Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has to figure out exactly who and what the Sixers need to boost their chances of reaching the NBA Finals.
Sixers center Joel Embiid is the league's frontrunner for MVP. Ben Simmons is in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year while continuing to improve on offense. Tobias Harris is having one of the best years of his career, while Shake Milton brings great energy off the bench.
Overall, the Sixers are a solid team. But if they want to take down a team like the Milwaukee Bucks or the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Sixers need to get better. Therefore, a trade or two could be on the horizon.
At the beginning of the year, the Sixers were linked to several big names such as Zach LaVine, Bradley Beal, and notably, James Harden. Lately, the only big name that's consistently linked to Philly is Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry.
As the Raptors have been off to a shaky start this year, it was assumed a mutual breakup was approaching as the aging Kyle Lowry approaches free agency in the offseason. Since the Sixers could use a shot-creator and three-point shooting upgrade, Lowry absolutely fits the prototype of Philly's needs. Therefore, countless hypothetical trades and rumors linked Lowry to the 76ers.
But as much as everybody wants to wish and assume Lowry will be back in his hometown playing for the team he grew up watching, it becomes clearer every day that a Raptors-Sixers trade involving Lowry isn't close.
A few weeks ago, a report speculated that Lowry would embrace playing for the Sixers, which led his agent to throw cold water on the rumors that made headlines. Then earlier this week, another rumor speculated that Lowry's been telling everybody behind the scenes he's getting traded. Lowry took matters into his own hands and shot that one down himself.
[RELATED: Danny Green Reacts to Kyle Lowry Trade Rumors]
To rain on Sixers fans' parades once more (apologies), a recent report from Bleacher Report's Jason Dumas mentions that Toronto has, in fact, fielded calls from several teams regarding Kyle Lowry. However, the Sixers were not one of them.
As much as Kyle Lowry on the Sixers makes sense, the idea is truly far-fetched. And the chances of the Sixers landing another star is less likely than the chances of the Sixers adding another bench piece or two.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
