National Basketball Association

NBA trade deadline buzz: Orlando deals Vucevic, Gordon; Lowry, Ball stay put

Updated Mar. 25, 2021 5:56 p.m. ET

The NBA trade deadline was Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, and the moves were flying.

With the NBA expanding the playoffs to include the play-in tournament for teams that finish seeded seventh to 10th in both conferences, there would be no shortage of buyers.

Let's get you up to speed on the latest deals, rumors and everything else you need to know from deadline day.

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Lowry chatter amounts to nothing

He's not going anywhere.

Some thought that the Toronto Raptors legend waved goodbye on Wednesday night.

Kyle Lowry's name continued to circulate as the deadline approached, with the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat making a push, per Stadium's Shams Charania.

It's of little surprise that likely playoff teams were looking to acquire the services of Lowry, who has spent the past nine seasons pulling the strings in Toronto. At age 35 ⁠— his birthday is deadline day! ⁠— he's averaging 17.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, all while shooting a hair under 40% from beyond the arc.

Magic deal Gordon, Vucevic and Fournier

Orlando was thought to be a big player at the trade deadline and the Magic haven't disappointed, making three deals so far on the day.

In the first big trade of the day, Orlando parted ways with All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic, sending him to Chicago where he will pair up with fellow All-Star Zach Lavine.

Vucevic is averaging 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds this season.

Next, the Magic shipped guard Evan Fournier to Boston.

And in one of the most anticipated moves of the day, Orlando sent Aaron Gordon to Denver for Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a first-round pick.

Oladipo lands in Miami; Heat eye Aldridge

The defending Eastern Conference champions didn't stand down on Thursday, landing a major piece in guard Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo – twice an All-Star as a member of the Indiana Pacers in 2018 and 2019 – will now move to his fifth franchise since entering the league in 2013. Most recently he spent 20 games as a member of the Houston Rockets as a part of the James Harden trade earlier this season.

He has career averages of 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Earlier in the day, the Heat landed gunner Nemanja Bjelica from the Kings for Moe Harkless and Chris Silva.

And Pat Riley and the Heat don't appear to be finished.

Clippers land a PG

Rajon Rondo is headed back to Los Angeles. And Lou Williams is on his way back to the ATL.

Thoughts were that the Clippers would be scrambling to land a point guard at the trade deadline, and they did exactly that with Rondo, who helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship last season before signing with Atlanta as a free agent in the offseason.

From 2017 to 2020, Williams starred for the Clippers off the bench, averaging 22.6, 20.0 and 18.6 points per game, respectively. He was three times named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, in 2015, 2018 and 2019.

Toronto, Portland swap wings

In a low-key big trade, the Toronto Raptors sent Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood.

Powell was having a career-year with the Raptors, averaging career-bests in scoring (19.6), field-goal percentage (49.8%) and 3-point percentage (43.9%).

The same could be said for Trent in Portland, considering he was putting up a career-best 15.0 points per game.

Redick joins Doncic in Dallas

Luka Doncic got another 3-point weapon on Thursday.

Bulls, Celtics swap bigs

Chriss to San Antonio

Hill, Rivers on the move

A three-way deal between Philly, New York and OKC has landed George Hill with the Sixers and Austin Rivers with the Knicks.

Nuggets add size

JaVale McGee is switching conferences, heading to the Denver Nuggets from the Cleveland Cavaliers, per multiple reports. The Nuggets will send Isaiah Hartenstein and two future protected second-round picks the other way, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

McGee brings championship experience to the Nuggets, having won two rings with the Golden State Warriors from 2016 to 2018 and another with the Los Angeles Lakers this past season.

Kings, Pistons swap guards

The Detroit Pistons are shipping Delon Wright to the Sacramento Kings for Cory Joseph and two second-round picks, per Woj.

Wright's addition provides some valuable veteran backcourt depth alongside the 23-year-old De'Aaron Fox and 21-year-old Tyrese Haliburton, as the Kings aim to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

Ball staying put

Lonzo Ball will not be traded on Thursday.

The Philadelphia 76ers had shown interest in Lonzo Ball, per ESPN.

The list of teams that reportedly inquired about Ball might have been shorter than the list of teams that didn't. The Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors were all in the mix for the 23-year-old Pelicans point guard, according to multiple reports.

Ball has not played since March 18, due to a hip injury that has him listed as day-to-day, and he is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The No. 2 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017, Ball is averaging a career-high 14.2 points per game in 38 outings with New Orleans this season.

Clippers create flexibility

The LA Clippers traded forward Mfiondu Kabengele, a future second-round pick and cash considerations to the Kings for a protected second-round pick, per ESPN's Wojnarowski. The picks are unlikely to convey, making this deal largely about freeing up cap and roster space for the Clippers. Per Woj, the Clippers get $2.6 million under the NBA's hard cap going into the deadline and buyout market.