UPDATE [3:11 p.m.] — Following a brief flicker of hope after news came down that the Heat were trading for Victor Oladipo — and not Kyle Lowry — at the NBA trade deadline, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski threw some cold water on Sixers fans who had again talked themselves into Philly acquiring the Cardinal Dougherty product. 

That appears to be it for the 2021 NBA trade deadline, but if any late-breaking moves trickle in, we'll be sure to update you. 

UPDATE [3:09 p.m.] — After being rumored as one of the top teams to acquire Kyle Lowry at the deadline, the Miami Heat will reportedly trade for Victor Oladipo instead, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

Does that open the door for a Lowry-to-Philly deal? Stay tuned (as a deal could still come out)...

UPDATE [2:57 p.m.] — Lonzo Ball will not be traded ahead of the deadline, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. But, former Sixer JJ Redick is on the move, as Shams Charania reports the veteran guard is headed to Dallas. 

UPDATE [1:07 p.m.] — It appears there will be no homecoming in Philly after all. The Sixers are reportedl out on Raptors guard Kyle Lowry. At least that's the word from Adrian Wojnarowski just a few moments ago on ESPN. 

That doesn't, however, mean that the Sixers are done making moves. 

And it's worth noting that after speaking to his sources, our own Kyle Neubeck doesn't rule out the team still making a move for Lowry, especially since they were able to keep both Danny Green's and Mike Scott's contracts to use for potential salary matching. Additionally, Green's name has popped up in trade rumors this afternoon, with the veteran wing being linked to the Warriors, perhaps as part of a three-team deal. 

Stay tuned. 

UPDATE [12:45 p.m.] — The Sixers are reportedly on the verge of acquiring guard George Hill from the Thunder, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Here are the details of the deal, according to Woj.

This also doesn't take the Sixers out of the running to land Kyle Lowry. Here's more from our own Kyle Nuebeck. 

While a few reporters have suggested this takes them out of the Kyle Lowry sweepstakes, I would not count the Sixers out there yet. By retaining Mike Scott in this deal, his contract along with Danny Green's leaves them with a reasonable financial path to matching money in a Lowry swap. There are bigger concerns there at the moment, namely the asking price from the Raptors, but the Sixers are expected to continue working the phones up until the close of the deadline. [MORE]

More to come... 

UPDATE [12:13 p.m.] — After a report from ESPN's Brian Windhorst that got Sixers fans all hot and bothered regarding a potential Kyle Lowry trade, we have some new info from our own Kyle Neubeck, who has sources cautioning him on the Sixers being willing to pay the price the Raptors are asking for Lowry.

You can read more from Kyle, here.

If the last report from Windhorst was the Raptors trying to get the Heat to up their offer, this could very well be the Sixers trying to get Toronto to lower its asking price. Either way, things seem to be heating up...

UPDATE [11:49 p.m.] — ESPN's Brian Windhorst was back on First Take on Thursday morning and had some more info to share on the Sixers' ongoing pursuit of Raptors guard Kyle Lowry. And as opposed to the last time we heard from him, this was some significantly better news for Philly fans hoping the veteran guard comes home.

Here's the full quote from Windhorst, courtesy of Kyle Neubeck... 

The Toronto Raptors have let people know this morning that the two teams in the lead for Kyle Lowry are the Philly 76ers and the Lakers, with Philly in first position right now. That puts the Heat in third place. Kyle Lowry is preparing to be traded to the 76ers.

Talking to executives around the league, they believe this is a last ditch move to get Miami to improve their offer. The last I had heard, Duncan Robinson was in the deal and Tyler Herro was not. Only the Raptors know whether or not getting Tyler Herro would change their viewpoint. 

No word on whether or not the Sixers would be willing to meet the reported sky-high price tag the Raptors have put on their franchise leader, or if they simply have the best offer of the trio of teams reportedly showing serious interest. 

But saying that Lowry is "preparing to be traded to the Sixers" is a serious suggestion that a deal is close. Or, as Windhorst suggests, this could simply be the Raptors trying to get a better offer out of the Heat. It is deadline day after all, and it's always worth considering where these leaks are coming from. 

We'll have more as soon as anything happens... 

UPDATE [11:34 p.m.] — It looks like another one of the Sixers' Eastern Conference rivals could be bulking up ahead of today's deadline, with the Celtics reportedly in talks to acquire Evan Fournier from the Magic for a pair of second-round picks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

UPDATE [11:30 a.m.] — According to Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet, the Sixers appear to be making a late push on a deal for Lowry and are currently "on the one-yard line." Of course, shortly after tweeting that he couched it by saying the Heat are still very much in on the talks and it's "too early to call."

It's also worth noting that a few weeks ago, Grange reported that the Raptors weren't even going to be trading Lowry. 

UPDATE [11:05 a.m] — Shortly after 11 a.m., we got our first WOJ 💣 of the day, officially welcoming the rest of the world to NBA trade deadline day, as is tradition. 

The deal? The Magic trading center Nikola Vucevic to the Bulls for Otto Porter, Wendell Carter Jr. and a pair of first-round picks. The deal was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski, who also included an interesting nugget in his a tweet a few minutes later recapping the deal, one that may be of particular interest to Sixers fans. 

Despite the hefty price they just paid to acquire Vucevic, it appears Chicago is very much still in the market for Lonzo Ball, a player rumored to be of interest to Philly should Kyle Lowry's price tag remain so astronomically high. We'll have more throughout the day so stay tuned... 

UPDATE [10:17 a.m.] — Well, that didn't take long. Shortly after publishing our live tracker, ESPN's Brian Windhorst appeared on the network to discuss the latest on Kyle Lowry ahead of the 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline, specifically the current market for the veteran and what it might cost a team like the Sixers to acquire him. Spoiler alert: It's a lot. 

And that's not even all of it. 

In order for the two sides to even make this deal work, they'd need to get closer to matching salaries, and with Lowry making so much, the team would also have to include Danny Green, as well as another piece with a decent contract, perhaps a Mike Scott. That would be a lot to give up and would change Doc Rivers' rotations considerably. 

Is it too much? Here's more on that reported asking price from Sixers writer Kyle Neubeck. 

FROM EARLIER

It might be happening a little later into the spring than most years, but NBA trade deadline day has arrived all the same — and there is no shortage of rumors. 

That's especially true for Sixers fans, as their team is one of the NBA's clear buyers at the deadline, and they've been linked multiple times to the biggest player expected to move on Thursday: Raptors star Kyle Lowry, who has been available and then not available and now apparently available again. 

And while the Sixers' are considered among the leaders to land the veteran out of Villanova, it won't be cheap — and the asking price from Toronto could potentially be high enough to hold up any sort of deal from even happening. 

And according to the latest from Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Sixers are going to have some serious competition for Lowry despite the high price. 

Not only would landing Lowry improve Philly's title hopes, it would also prevent other contenders like the Lakers and Heat from improving their own rosters. 

As fun as it is being a buyer — as opposed to being a seller — at the deadline, walking away empty handed can be an empty feeling, especially if you believe your team is still a piece or two away from truly contending for a title. 

MORE TRADE RUMORS: Sixers interested in Lonzo Ball, Norman Powell, George Hill | Malcolm Brogdon is reportedly available, should Sixers take a look? | Sixers considered 'leaders' in pursuit of Raptors' Kyle Lowry

The good news is, the Sixers should have other, less expensive upgrade options, all of whom would require considerably trade compensation leaving Philly and some of whom wouldn't even disrupt the current chemistry by removing one of the key pieces of Doc Rivers' rotation, like a Danny Green. 

Those options for the Sixers, outlined recently by our own Kyle Neubeck, include Lonzo Ball, George Hill and the aforementioned Powell. There's a report that Malcolm Brogdon could be available. Lauri Markkanen and Evan Fournier are also reportedly on the block, but neither has been explicitly linked to the Sixers, who are clearly looking to make some sort of improvement by Thursday's 3 p.m. deadline, even if it's on the margins. Even J.J. Redick has popped up in rumors as a potential buyout option for Philly.

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Perhaps the best news for the Sixers and their fans is that this year they seem to have the perfect type of decision-maker to get something done in Daryl Morey, a veteran executive who is no stranger to making both major and minor deals to improve his teams. 

This is no slight on current GM Elton Brand, who led the team's trade efforts the last few years and had some success in bringing in players like Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, among others, but Morey has had more time to develop connections around the league and hone his negotiating skills, both of which he'll be putting to work ahead of his first deadline in Philly. 

All that should make for a pretty interesting day in Philly, which will end with the Sixers taking on the Lakers in L.A. as 5.5-point favorites according to Pa.Unibet.com. And we'll have you covered throughout with the latest news and rumors surrounding the Sixers and the league at large with our live NBA trade deadline tracker... 

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