NBA Trade Rumors: Kyle Lowry Available Before Deadline, Raptors Pursuing Mike Conley, Marc Gasol

The Toronto Raptors proved during the summer that they are willing to trade anyone to make their team better when they swapped DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard. With the team looking to make the 2019 NBA Finals, they are reportedly making another one of their All-Stars available.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer, Toronto offered Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. Memphis is exploring trade possibilities for both veterans now that they are out of the playoff race.

Toronto has made five straight postseason appearances with no trips to the finals. After a 59-win season ended with a second-round sweep at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Raptors shook up the roster by breaking up their All-Star backcourt.

Adding Leonard has made Toronto a true contender to win the East. The Raptors are two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the conference. They’ve got just one more loss than the Golden State Warriors through 54 games.

Lowry has made his fifth straight All-Star team by ranking second in the NBA with 9.2 assists per game. A back injury has forced him to miss a quarter of Toronto’s games. His 14.1 points per game and 40.9 percent shooting are his worst numbers in six years.

Conley is averaging 20.3 points and 6.3 assists per game. Gasol is no longer the defensive presence he once was, though he’s still productive with 15.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

The ability to put Conley, Gasol, Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Danny Green on the floor at the same time would make Toronto an even bigger threat to challenge Golden State in June.

The Grizzlies would reportedly prefer a package headlined by younger players like OG Anunoby instead of the Raptors’ offer, which would mostly offer them future salary cap relief. Valanciunas will be $8 million cheaper than Gasol next season, assuming both players opt into the final year of their contracts. Lowry will be a free agent in 2020 when Conley can opt into the final year of his deal and make $34.5 million.

Even if a deal between Toronto and Memphis doesn’t get done, it might be worth keeping an eye on Lowry until Thursday’s 3 p.m. EST trade deadline. The Raptors already traded the face of their franchise for a player that could leave this summer, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them make another major move within the next 48 hours.