Raptors star Kyle Lowry downplays trade rumors

Kyle Lowry took to social media to seemingly shut down the rumor that he has been telling people he expects to be traded by the Toronto Raptors ahead of the March 25 deadline.

Lowry trade rumors have been swirling around for a while, but they received new life on the most recent episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast" when Ryen Russillo said that the veteran point guard was openly voicing the fact that he expects to be traded.

"The word on that is that Lowry has been telling everybody for a month that he’s getting traded, which is interesting that he’s already like, 'Yeah, I’m out of here,'" Russillo told Simmons.

According to Lowry, the trade talks have been greatly exaggerated, and he posted his frustration about the "lies" being told about him on his Instagram story.

"The lies people tell in the Media are amazing," Lowry wrote. "Don't put out thing when they ain't come from me!!"

Of course, just because Lowry is denying rumors publicly does not mean he's off the trade block. While the Raptors have managed to get their season back on track, they do not appear to be a serious title contender, and Lowry would certainly generate plenty of interest from teams in need of a point guard.