One of the biggest surprises once the NBA trade deadline had passed was the decision by the Toronto Raptors to not trade Kyle Lowry. Both sides had seemingly accepted the fate that Toronto wouldn't be competing this year and that it would be best to move Lowry, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Lowry had come to this realization as well, and it appeared to sink in when he walked off the court on Wednesday night:

When it came down to it, a deal was not meant to be and Lowry is still in Toronto. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Raptors thought a deal with Philadelphia was all but signed, sealed and delivered before draft compensation negotiations broke down:

“As for Philadelphia, which was reportedly close to a Lowry deal but wound up opting for Oklahoma City’s George Hill instead, a source with knowledge of the talks said the Raptors indeed believed they were very close on that front late in the process and that the draft compensation was the final unresolved hurdle. The plan, the source said, was for Toronto to re-route Sixers guard Danny Green to a third team.” Sam Amick – The Athletic

Tough spot for Danny Green finding out this way that you were going to basically be a salary match piece sent off to a third team. Maybe he did know and that's what motivated him in his 28-point performance against the Lakers after the deadline had passed.

For Kyle Lowry, he stays in Toronto through the end of this season. Many Raptors fans rejoiced as their beloved point guard, and arguably the best player in franchise history, stays put to try to help the team get out of the rut it has been in this season.