Pelicans trade Nikola Mirotic to Bucks, but Anthony Davis not dealt

Milwaukee, Toronto and Philadelphia made their moves. Anthony Davis will have to wait until the summer for his.

The New Orleans Pelicans held on to 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 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 Boston Celtics didn't jump into the trading deadline fray but may try to get involved in the summer.

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. ESPN, which first reported the Gasol deal, also said CJ Miles and Delon Wright of Toronto were included in the trade.

Valanciunas had been coming off the bench, and Toronto coach Nick Nurse will have to decide whether he uses Gasol in the same manner, or returns to a traditional bigger lineup with the former defensive player of the year in the middle.

The 76ers have made two major trades during the season, previously getting Jimmy Butler from the Timberwolves before the deal to bring in Harris.

All of those clubs feel they improved their chances to be the first East team to reach the NBA Finals without LeBron James since 2010.