Raptors believed they had Kyle Lowry deal with Sixers, difference was draft
The Philadelphia 76ers made their move on Thursday when they acquired George Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder. He brings a veteran presence at the point guard position and a guy who produces on both ends of the floor.
However, most thought that the Sixers were going to grab Philly native and Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry. It appeared that the two sides were close on a deal, but president Daryl Morey went with the Hill trade rather than Lowry.
The Raptors were asking a lot for the face of their franchise, and rightfully so on their part, but he is also 35-years old. The asking price from Philadelphia was steep and it appears that it was just too steep for Morey on this one.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the draft compensation was too much for the Sixers:
As for Philadelphia, which was reportedly close to a Lowry deal but wound up opting for Oklahoma City’s George Hill instead, a source with knowledge of the talks said the Raptors indeed believed they were very close on that front late in the process and that the draft compensation was the final unresolved hurdle. The plan, the source said, was for Toronto to re-route Sixers guard Danny Green to a third team.
The re-routing of Green to a third team is interesting because that is probably where the Golden State Warriors come in. The Dubs had emerged as a possible trade destination for the veteran and maybe that is the third team that would have been involved.
Either way, Lowry would have been nice to have, but Hill is a guy who brings a lot of playoff experience and he is a terrific two-way option as a point guard. Hill is also under contract for the 2021-22 season while Lowry would be a free agent and he was looking for a new deal. Morey went with the smarter route in this case.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
