East contenders make their moves, Davis has to wait for his:

Toronto, Milwaukee and Philadelphia made their moves. Anthony Davis will have to wait until the summer for his. The New Orleans Pelicans held onto Davis but dealt Nikola Mirotic to the Bucks, one of the Eastern Conference contenders who fortified their teams on Thursday before the NBA trade deadline. The Raptors are getting former All-Star center Marc Gasol from Memphis. The 76ers, a day after acquiring forward Tobias Harris from the Clippers, sent Markelle Fultz to Orlando and will hope Jonathan Simmons can provide some production where the former No. 1 pick couldn’t. All the trades were confirmed to The Associated Press by people with knowledge of the details because they couldn’t be announced before they were approved by the NBA. A busy swap season that included Dallas’ acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis from New York ended without a move for Davis, the player who dominated the discussion in recent weeks. The Pelicans didn’t find a deal for Davis, who had requested a trade and informed the team he wouldn’t sign a contract extension this summer. But the Lakers couldn’t put together a strong enough package to the Pelicans’ liking for the All-Star forward, who will go back into the trade market after the season ends. There will be other marquee names available then with a free agent class that could be highlighted by players such as Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard. The other conference contenders looked for upgrades — and went out and got some that likely will fit well. Milwaukee (40-13) already has the NBA’s best record and Mirotic’s outside-shooting ability for a big man would appear to fit perfectly in a lineup around superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Two games back of the Bucks, the Raptors sent center Jonas Valanciunias to Memphis to acquire Gasol. Things were quieter in the West, where there were no upgrades by teams currently in playoff position. The Clippers currently hold the eighth and final spot but appear willing to give it up in favor of positioning themselves for the summer.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS