Sixers: 3 predictions ahead of trade deadline

Sixers trade deadline prediction: Welcome home, Kyle Lowry

Call it in, place your bets, torment your local Raptors fan. It’s happening. The Sixers will trade for Kyle Lowry ahead of the March 25 deadline, and in doing so give themselves a real chance to knock on Brooklyn’s door in the postseason.

The signals from Lowry and the Raptors have been intentionally jumbled, likely to maintain leverage on Toronto’s end. It’s clear the Raptors don’t need to trade Lowry — they’re in the playoff hunt — but it would make sense for them to cash in on the 34-year-old’s expiring contract. There’s no guarantee he would re-sign in Toronto, and the Raptors are ready to start building around Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors would take Lowry’s wishes into consideration — he’s not getting shipped to Minnesota, or some “outpost” to toil away for half a season. He’d go to a contender, and there’s a clear reason for interest in Philadelphia — Lowry’s hometown, and the current No. 1 seed. Woj explicitly said the Sixers are a team to watch.

Morey is historically aggressive, and if he believes the Sixers have anything resembling a chance to win the East, we can expect him to pull out all the stops. Philadelphia would need to send out Green, Scott, and more just to match salaries, but the Raptors are likely more interested in picks than prospects. The Sixers can offer a couple first-round picks (2021 and 2023), plus a swap or two. Lowry will have other suitors, but his age and contract will inherently cap his price range. The Sixers should be willing to spend whatever it costs, barring a truly excessive offer from the likes of Miami or LA.

And with that, we have reached the end. The Sixers will have a new All-Star on the roster by next week. It has been foretold.