NBA trade deadline day live tracker: Raptors trade Norman Powell to Portland, Matt Thomas to Utah; What lies ahead for Kyle Lowry? - Toronto Star | Canada News Media
12:46 p.m.: Raptors trade Powell to Portland for Trent Jr., Hood
12:30 p.m.: Denver trades package for Aaron Gordon
9 a.m.: What should the Raptors do? Here’s what Doug Smith thinks
On this, the most exciting transaction day in pro sports, we’re going to have some fun while keeping the NBA news, the rumours and the reaction all in one safe space. Have a question or want to chat? Use the Conversations tool at the bottom of this blog by registering for free to thestar.com (not available on the Star mobile app). Let’s get started. Deadline is 3 p.m. ET.
2:45 p.m.: Update from the Toronto Star desk — 15 minutes to go and we’re still doomscrolling.
2:30 p.m. (updated): The Atlanta Hawks have traded point guard Rajon Rondo to the Los Angeles Clippers for Lou Williams and two future second-round picks, sources told ESPN.
The Clippers were said to be engaging with the Raptors on point guard Kyle Lowry, as you’ll read below.
2:20 p.m.: New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Hart tweeted about the Toronto Star NBA trade deadline blog (unconfirmed): “Refreshing my feed every 5 secs.”
I know you all can relate, and we’re happy you’re here.
2:17 p.m.: What’s the hold up on a Kyle Lowry trade?
“The hold up on both teams is the inclusion of Talen Horton-Tucker from the Lakers and Tyler Herro from the Miami Heat,” says Shams Charania of The Athletic.
2:10 p.m.: The Raptors are trading guard Matt Thomas to the Utah Jazz for a future second-round pick, sources tell ESPN.
The trade opens up a roster spot for Toronto, meaning the Raptors could take on an additional player in a potential Lowry trade.
2:00 p.m. (updated): Norman Powell left quite a legacy on the franchise. Fans will never forget how he changed the course of the 2016 Pacers-Raptors playoffs series with a steal and thunderous dunk in Game 5.
My favourite Powell story is the one he penned for the Star just before the 2016 training camp when we asked him to provide advice to incoming rookies Jakob Poetl and Pascal Siakam.
Powell also made sure he contributed to the community.
Days before Christmas, he checked off the wish lists of more than 30 low-income families and providing them with grocery gift cards through the Yonge Street Mission.
For the 2019 Christmas, even thought he was recovering from an injury, he helped spread some holiday cheer on Saturday to the children displaced by a fire at 235 Gosford Blvd.
What’s your favourite Norm Powell memory? Share with us using the conversations tool below.
1:35 p.m.: Fun fact about the Gary Trent Jr. acquisition via Doug Smith — it now means the Raptors have the first Father-Son pairing ever to both play in Toronto.
Gary Trent Sr. played a dozen or so games in the horror of the 16-66 season in 1997-98. He came to Toronto along with Alvin Williams in the Damon Stoudamire deal. (more details on the trade posted below at 10:45 a.m.)
1:25 p.m.: The Golden State Warriors have emerged as a possible trade destination for Philadelphia’s Danny Green, sources tell the New York Times.
1:18 p.m.: While ESPN is reporting that the 76ers are no longer pursuing Lowry, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Heat remain very much in the mix — while the Lakers and Clippers also have engaged with the Raptors.
Yes, those Clippers.
Former Toronto Star digital desker and friend of the live blog Tanis Fowler tweeted in response to the Clippers report: “OK, FINE. We’ll take Kawhi and Ibaka off your hands.”
1:15. p.m.: Want to share your NBA Trade Deadline takes with us? Use the conversations tool below, we’d love to chat.
1:11 p.m.: FAN ANGLE: Some fans worry that losing Lowry will hurt the Raptors’ optics and erase any clout the franchise accumulated thanks to years of effort from the All-Star guard.
“We’re not going to have an identity anymore if they trade Lowry,” said Emmanuel Dennis, a 23-year-old Scarborough resident.
“Who’s going to be the face of the Raptors now? We’re going to be nobodies again. Even though we have a championship, we’re still getting disrespected. That’s just going to get worse.”
1:05 p.m.: So, who is newest Raptor Gary Trent Jr.? He certainly is the prize of this Norman Powell deal. The 22-year-old, in his third NBA season, has averaged 15 points over 41 games this year. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. And we’ll have lots more to come on him.
12:46 p.m.: The Toronto Raptors have traded Norm Powell to the Portland Trailblazers on Thursday ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline, cources confirmed to the Star.
The Raptors received Gary Trent and Rodney Hood in return from Portland.
Powell has spent his entire career with the Raptors after being obtained as part of the most lopsided transaction ever pulled off by team president Masai Ujiri.
The 27-year-old native of San Diego arrived in Toronto on a draft-night trade in 2015 that saw Ujiri ship off Greivis Vasquez to the Milwaukee Bucks for Powell and the draft pick that ultimately became OG Anunoby.
12:44 p.m.: The Oklahoma City Thunder are finalizing trading George Hill to the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell The Athletic.
Does this take them out of the running for Kyle Lowry?
“This one is intriguing from the Raptors scheme of things,” said Raptors reporter Doug Smith on his live Twitter Spaces chat.
12:42 p.m.: Sacramento Kings are finalizing a deal to send Nemanja Bjelica to the Miami Heat, sources tell ESPN.
12:37 p.m.: Former Raptor Terrence Ross tweeted the official mood of this trade deadline. Stress, anxiety, anticipation. And there’s still more than two hours to go.
12:30 p.m.: Doug Smith said on his live Twitter chat now that he thinks the Sixers would benefit more from a Lowry trade than the Heat.
To join our Twitter Spaces by heading to the Twitter app on your phone. The conversation can be found on the top bar, where Fleets are, surrounded by a purple background. Doug is planning on chatting until 1 p.m. unless news breaks.
12:30 p.m.: Denver is sending Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a first-round pick to the Magic for Aaron Gordon, source tells ESPN.
12:20 p.m.: Could be another big trade down the pipe.
The Orlando Magic are progressing on a trade to send Aaron Gordon to the Denver Nuggets, sources tell the Athletic.
That would be the Magic’s third trade of the day, as they appear to be looking to the future.
12:08 p.m.: Doug Smith said on his live Twitter chat now that he heard that up to 20 teams are interested in Norman Powell.
To join our Twitter Spaces by heading to the Twitter app on your phone. The conversation can be found on the top bar, where Fleets are, surrounded by a purple background.
12:05 p.m.: The Star’s business feature writer Richard Warnica points out on Twitter that Lowry will go down as the greatest Raptor of all time and jokes that “there’s no doubt his most astonishing statistical achievement is selling a house for under asking in Toronto in 2021.”
11:50 a.m.: Looks like we have the second big deal of the day, and it involves the Boston Celtics.
Boston finalizing deal to acquire Orlando guard Evan Fournier for two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. The Celtics had a huge trade exception to use.
11:45 a.m.: This is your 15-minute warning!
At 12 p.m. ET, long-time Raptors reporter Doug Smith will be providing analysis and taking questions ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
His latest take? The Raptors shouldn’t let a recent slide force their hand at the trade deadline.
Join our Twitter Spaces by heading to the Twitter app on your phone. The conversation can be found on the top bar, where Fleets are, surrounded by a purple background.
11:40 a.m.: Kyle Lowry also left his mark on off the court in Toronto with his annual “Lowry Holiday Assists” program.
11:35 a.m.: It’s Kyle Lowry’s 35th birthday today and fans are looking back fondly on his time with the Raptors.
“Lowry was the glue guy on the championship team,” said Dov Kahn, 18, a Toronto-born shooting guard set to play for Fleming College in Peterborough before the pandemic.
“He was the leader; they couldn’t have won a ring without him. His willingness to take a charge and bang bodies in the paint with the really big guys embodies the grittiness of Toronto basketball culture.”
That being said, Kahn isn’t opposed to trading the franchise icon.
“Get the man a statue, he’s the greatest Raptor of all time, but it’s time to rebuild,” he told the Star’s Ben Cohen.
11:15 a.m.: Whoa! The first blockbuster trade of the day, but it doesn’t involve Toronto.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Chicago Bulls are acquiring centre Nikola Vucevic and Al Farouq Aminu from Orlando for Otto Porter Jr., Wendell Carter Jr., and two first-round picks.
That counts as a Woj bomb.
Vucevic made the all-star team this year, the second time he was honoured. But he did struggle against Marc Gasol when the Raptors eliminated the Magic in the playoffs two years ago.
10:55 a.m.: At 12 p.m. ET, long-time Raptors reporter Doug Smith will be providing analysis and taking questions ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
His latest take? The Raptors shouldn’t let a recent slide force their hand at the trade deadline.
Join our Twitter Spaces by heading to the Twitter app on your phone. The conversation can be found on the top bar, where Fleets are, surrounded by a purple background.
10:45 a.m.: So what’s the biggest trade on deadline day the Raptors have made? It’s got to be obtaining Marc Gasol from Memphis for Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright and C.J. Miles, right?
But, and if you expand dealine deals to include trades in the days leading up to the deadline, you got to include the Damon Stoudamire trade in the discussion as one of the biggest in franchise history.
On Feb. 13, 1998, the Raptors traded Carlos Rogers, Damon Stoudamire and Walt Williams to the Portland Trail Blazers for Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent, Alvin Williams, two first-round picks and a second-round pick.
The Raptors had to deal a reportedly unhappy Stoudamire, the franchise’s first star a.k.a. Mighty Mouse.
If Masai Ujiri does make a deal, will he land a young player that can have as much of an impact as Williams?
10:20 a.m.: ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Denver is acquiring Cleveland centre JaVale McGee for Isaiah Hartenstein and two future protected second-round picks.
If this deal made your heart pound, then you definitely are an NBA trade deadline fanatic.
10 a.m.: What level of “NBA trade deadline fanatic” are you?
Have you typed the words “Kyle Lowry” into your favourite search engine more than 17 times in the last six weeks?
Have you turned your “Woj Bomb” Twitter notifications on?
Are you glued to our live blog and absolutely loving it?
If you answered yes or no to any of these questions, you’ve come to the right place!
9 a.m.: What does the Star’s Doug Smith think the Raptors should do? Doug puts on his GM cap in this story prior to the victory Wednesday over the Nuggets.
What they must do, however, is disassociate the last 10 games from the next two years. Overreacting to what’s going on now is a dangerous route to take and it would be ill-advised for Ujiri or Webster to blink this week in the light of a losing streak.
Draft picks are nice but dealing either of those two players to legitimate title contenders will yield picks in the late 20s, and there’s never a ton of value there. Moving them for young players sounds great but the Raptors are already to committed to a young core of VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. Why would they trade into any of those settled positions?
12 a.m.: We already had one trade overnight! Involving two former Raptor point guards, no less. The Detroit Pistons are trading Delon Wright to the Sacramento Kings for Cory Joseph and two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
11 p.m. Wednesday: Drake even interrupted Lowry’s postgame conference with a phone call.
10:30 p.m. Wednesday: If Kyle Lowry played his last game with the Raptors, he went out with a bang.
Shrugging off a gruesome nine-game losing streak with one of their most impressive performances of the season, the Raptors routed the Denver Nuggets 135-111 on a night awash in emotion.
Lowry finished with eight points and nine assists before checking out with about five minutes left. He finished with an individual plus-42 on the night that was the second-best in Toronto franchise history behind a plus-46 from Mark Jackson.
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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.
Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.
“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.
Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.
Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.
Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.
The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.
The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.
Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.
After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.
The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”
