One of the most expected moves as we approached the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, March 25 was for the Toronto Raptors to deal point guard Kyle Lowry. However, as the deadline has passed, he remains a member of the organization for at least the next few months.
Toronto was somewhat active on deadline day, making a few different moves, but it remains to be seen what the plan is for the future of Lowry, who has been one of the main constants for the Raptors in recent years. He turned 35 years old on the day of the NBA trade deadline and has been an important member of the team since the 2012-13 season. Lowry is set to be a free agent this offseason.
In the end, Masai Ujiri didn’t find a package that compelled him to trade Kyle Lowry — and Lowry had always been fine with completing the season with the Raptors, sources tell ESPN. Now, Lowry can head to free agency in the summer. https://t.co/JOoY9WMKNf
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
With a bit of a lost season in which the Raptors aren’t playing at their home court, had a slow start and a brutal COVID-19 outbreak that affected players and coaches, combined with this being the last year on Lowry’s deal, it was assumed he would be moved on Thursday. Maybe Toronto did not get the offers it had expected, or it’s possible it’s important to both sides that he finishes his career with the Raptors. Fans should be interested to see what happens with Lowry and if the organization attempts to re-sign him at age 35.
Raptors make moves
Though Lowry was not moved, Toronto did make some moves at the trade deadline, most notably with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Raptors gave up Norman Powell, who increased his production during the coronavirus outbreak, for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood.
Additionally, Toronto dealt Matt Thomas to the Utah Jazz for a future second round pick and traded Terence Davis to the Sacramento Kings for another future second round pick. Both trades were reported by ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter.
Updated Futures Odds
Toronto has a shot to get itself back into the mix and be a playoff team especially after keeping Lowry. Now that the players and coaches impacted by COVID-19 are back with the organization, we’ll see if Toronto can get things back on track now that some of its best players are back on the floor.
Below is a look at some of the most up-to-date NBA betting odds via a popular United States sportsbook.
To Reach Playoffs
Making the playoffs is a very realistic goal for Toronto looking ahead to the rest of the season. At just 18-26, the Raptors have the 11th best record in the Eastern Conference. Following the trade deadline, oddsmakers still do not expect Toronto to be a playoff team. They are getting -132 odds to not make the playoffs with +110 odds to advance.
Atlantic Division Winner
Toronto is highly unlikely to come away with the Atlantic Division title as the Raptors sit with the worst record in the division, though they have the fourth best chance to win it at +20000.
Eastern Conference Winner
While the Raptors do not look good record-wise, oddsmakers believe they are a significantly better team than their 40.9% winning percentage. Toronto has the sixth best odds to make it out of the Eastern Conference with +2500 odds.
NBA Finals Champion
The Raptors have the 24th best record in the entire NBA, but the Raptors Finals odds are much better than that. They have +6000 odds to win it all in the 2020-21 season, which is the 13th highest odds in the league.
