Rockets, Raptors will regret Sixers non-trades

The Sixers have been involved in two blockbuster trade discussions this season, neither of which landed a star in Philadelphia. First, it was James Harden, who is most likely a Brooklyn Net because of Houston’s petty reluctance to deal with Daryl Morey. Then, it was Kyle Lowry, who is finishing the season in Toronto ahead of unrestricted free agency.

Both players were, at one point or another, favored to join the Sixers. Both trades fell through, and now the Sixers are a more vulnerable (if still very intimidating) No. 1 seed because of it. While the Sixers would surely have preferred those trades to pan out, the true regret lies with Houston and Toronto.

The dust has not settled around the Houston rumors, but frankly, the Rockets franchise is painted in a troubling light regardless. Harden was sent to Brooklyn for Caris LeVert (who was immediately and inexplicably swapped for Victor Oladipo, who was later swapped for Kelly Olynyk), four first-round picks, and four first-round pick swaps. There is a very real chance Houston gets four middling first-round picks and four swaps that either don’t convert or don’t convert in a terribly meaningful way.

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Essentially, the Rockets have bet against the Nets’ big three leading to long-term success. A fair bet, but less fair than Ben Simmons and multiple first-round picks from Philadelphia. Houston may strike gold down the line, and this article may then look foolish, but it’s generally good to add 24-year-old All-Stars when they become available.

In Simmons, the Rockets would have one of the best individual shot creators in basketball — a lightning rod in the open court who can generate copious 3-pointers for teammates and, when afforded the proper freedom, do real damage scoring at the rim. Simmons has his flaws, but he is already a perennial All-Star and arguably the best wing defender on the planet. The Rockets would have an annual Defensive Player of the Year campaign to run, a regular All-Star, and a clear building block for the future. Much clearer than Kevin Porter Jr. and Kenyon Martin Jr., who would — mind you — very likely still be on the team.

There were rumors of Tyrese Maxey being the point of no return for Philadelphia. And perhaps it’s true, that Houston did have a line the Sixers needed to cross and the Sixers refused to cross it. However, what we do know, with relative certainty, is that Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, and several picks were Houston’s for the taking. They instead chose a past-prime sorta-star who didn’t want to be there and pick swaps.

And then you arrive at Toronto, who decided to keep Kyle Lowry for the remainder of a fruitless season before letting him walk in free agency. Reports would have you believe no team crossed the threshold necessary to provoke Masai Ujiri and company into action. In reality, however, the Raptors’ postseason hopes were slim at best when the trade deadline passed. What reason was there for not taking the best offer available, which by all accounts probably belonged to Philadelphia.

The Sixers would have traded a collection of expiring contracts — centered on Danny Green — and some spare assets for Lowry. Most likely, that would have involved Matisse Thybulle or Tyrese Maxey and at least one first-round pick. The Heat and Lakers are rumored to have kept Tyler Herro and Talen Horton-Tucker (!!!) off the table entirely.

Toronto will now receive nothing if Lowry walks in free agency. If he opts for a sign-and-trade to Philadelphia, then Toronto is in line for much less than Danny Green, Matisse Thybulle, and picks. The Raptors have an understandably strong relationship to Lowry, and you don’t want to let a star walk for nothing, but it’s evident real offers — or, at least one real offer — were on the table.

To some degree, one could argue the Sixers whiffed. Maybe they should have offered more for Lowry to maximize Embiid’s wide-open title window. If there was a way to ratchet up the Harden offer, I’m the first to admit that would have been the right move.

In the end, even still, it’s the Rockets and Raptors who seem to have missed out. Houston would have done exceedingly well to swap an discontent star for Ben freakin’ Simmons. The Raptors would have done well to just trade Lowry and get whatever value was possible before he leaves for nothing or next to it this offseason.

Oh, well.