Kyle Lowry is one of the greatest Toronto Raptors of all time but every season you can find a rumor about him getting shipped somewhere else regardless of how great he’s been for the franchise. Now those rumors have surfaced again, with Lowry being located out of Toronto (Tampa this season), as the Raptors could be looking to trade him.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the point guard could be living his last moments with the Canadian team. The trade deadline is getting closer and one of the names we could see on the move might be Lowry’s, whose contract is expiring this season.
The biggest domino that could fall and may impact the title race: Kyle Lowry. There is a portion of Raptors personnel, league sources said, that believes the franchise should bid its beloved All-Star farewell and begin Toronto’s next chapter in earnest.
“There’s a time capsule for everybody and everything,” said one Western Conference executive, “and it’s probably just time to move on.”
The Raptors, who still roster seven players from that 2018-19 title team, stand only 10-13 after a dreadful 2-8 start. Toronto never panicked, especially as four of those first eight losses were by five points or fewer. Nick Nurse’s staff has developed rotation pieces in Yuta Watanabe and Deandre’ Bembry of late, but the Raptors feel far removed from the Eastern Conference elites. None of Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Brooklyn or Boston would enjoy facing this current Toronto iteration as a low-seeded first-round opponent, but they wouldn’t exactly fear them, either.
It may be that Lowry, who’s a free agent after this season, is the best trade chip for the Raptors’ front office. He remains their third-leading scorer, top creator and a lethal three-point shooter, but his expansive role inevitably caps everyone else’s.
Moreover, Fischer reveals that one of the teams that could land the 2019 NBA champions is located in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers, which could be a reunion with Kawhi Leonard on the West Coast.
The Clippers might have a cleaner path to landing Lowry. “I think Toronto would want to send him West,” one Eastern team official said, “but Masai is going to do a deal that brings back the best package.” The Clippers might be able to provide both.
Los Angeles has made it widely known that Lou Williams is available, sources said, and there’s a cohort in that front office ready to move on from Patrick Beverley as well—although the Clippers have been more in the market for a mid-tier guard than someone like Lowry, sources said.
Adding someone of Lowry’s caliber, however, would boost L.A.’s best punch against the West’s other heavyweights.
The Clippers could add Ivica Zubac and Mfiondu Kabengele to a Beverley-Williams package to make the salaries match, and that return would bring Toronto two young big men to fill the hole up front. The 23-year-old Zubac will still have two years, $14.5 million remaining on his current deal after this season (club option in 2022-23). He’s a talented player on a contract that would intrigue most front offices.
Lowry has been the heart and soul of this team for a couple of years now. He has given everything to them but if the front office decides is time for him to look for a new challenge, nobody will stop that. They need to cash in on him while they can since Lowry’s contract is expiring at the end of this season.
The Clippers could make a great addition here but time will tell if they are interested in that move and what they have to offer to create a Big 3 with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George
