SALT LAKE CITY — Just before Thursday's NBA trade deadline, the Utah Jazz picked up Toronto Raptors sharpshooter Matt Thomas in exchange for a second round pick, according to multiple reports.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the deal.
Toronto is trading guard Matt Thomas to the Utah Jazz for a future second-round pick, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Wojnarowski went on to tweet that the deal clears the way for Toronto to take on an additional trade in the event of a Kyle Lowry trade.
Deal opens a roster spot to take on an additional player in a Lowry trade. Raptors continue talking to teams on deals within 45 minutes of deadline. Thomas gives the Jazz another in an endless line of three-point shooters on the team. https://t.co/9Llqb3NKvi
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
A short time later though, Wojnarowski tweeted that Lowry would stay in Toronto.
In the end, Masai Ujiri didn't find a package that compelled him to trade Kyle Lowry -- and Lowry had always been fine with completing the season with the Raptors, sources tell ESPN. Now, Lowry can head to free agency in the summer. https://t.co/JOoY9WMKNf
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Andy Larsen with our content-sharing partner The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Thomas, a 6-foot-4, 190 pound guard from Iowa State, was able to find the floor for the Raptors sparingly in two seasons with the team, playing a total of 67 games over the last two seasons. Without a doubt, Thomas’ superlative skill is his 3-point shooting: he averaged 45.7% from deep in his last two NBA seasons, while averaging 47% in his time overseas.
Read Andy Larsen's Salt Lake Tribune report on the Utah Jazz trading for Matt Thomas
Larsen says there's an argument to be made that Thomas is one of the very best shooters in the world, thanks to his consistently high percentages. His nickname of “Mr. 99%” reflects his effective field goal percentage on open catch-and-shoot threes at Valencia in the Spanish ACB league, but shooting at about 45% year-after-year in his career has impressed observers.
