The Sixers officially miss out on Kyle Lowry as the Villanova alum and Philly native joins the Heat in NBA free agency

LAS VEGAS — Kyle Lowry got away ... again.

The 76ers had expressed some interest in signing the six-time All-Star point guard in a sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Raptors. But that appeared more like wishful thinking over the past week, as the Miami Heat and New Orleans Pelicans became the front-runners for his services.

It turns out Lowry picked South Florida over the Big Easy.

The former Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova standout will head to the Heat in a sign-and-trade. The North Philly native will get a three-year deal for worth about $90 million a source confirmed Monday.

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The Sixers and Heat were unable to secure trades for Lowry this past season.

At that time, the Raptors’ asking price was too steep. Lowry also wanted some indication that his potential destination would be willing to provide a two-year extension of at least $25 million per year, sources said. He made $30 million in the final year of his Raptors deal.

His salary demands remained high. A league source confirmed that Lowry’s free-agency asking price was $90 million over three seasons. He served around that total in the sign-and-trade.

Lowry, 35, would have been a prime sign-and-trade option for Sixers point guard Ben Simmons, who is being shopped. Simmons will make $33 million next season and has $146.6 million remaining on his contract.

Not only is he a six-time All-Star, Lowry knows how to run a team. He’s a winner, a leader, and possesses a toughness that would have benefited the Sixers.

Adding him to the mix with Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris would have put the Sixers in great position to advance to the NBA Finals.

But instead of playing for his hometown Sixers, he’ll join good friend Jimmy Butler in Miami.