The Toronto Raptors are trading Matt Thomas to the Utah Jazz for a future second-round pick, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal clears a roster spot for the Raptors and seems to be a precursor to a Kyle Lowry trade.

Toronto is deep in trade negotiations with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers on a Lowry trade. The NBA trade deadline is about to expire, so a deal has to be done soon. There have been some hangups in trade talks, with the Los Angeles Lakers hesitant to include Talen Horton-Tucker in deal, and the Heat unwilling to part with Tyler Herro.

The Raptors already traded Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier on Thursday ahead of the trade deadline. Toronto has suffered through a disappointing season, so the team is trying to maximize its return on guys like Lowry and Powell as they try to build around Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby.

Thomas joined the Raptors last season and only got spot minutes with the team. He did shoot 47.5% from 3-land as a rookie on 2.4 attempts per game and is shooting 41.5% from deep this season.

Given his 3-point prowess, Thomas is a perfect fit with a Jazz team that's one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. Utah currently holds the best record in the league as we hit the deadline.

Now we just wait and see where Kyle Lowry ends up. Buckle up for this stretch run to the buzzer.