The NBA introduced new rules this summer to impose restrictions on teams that have been happily spending money on their payroll and paying massive luxury tax sums with a second apron which restricts your ability to sign or trade for players. The second apron went into effect this season and because of this, many contending teams cannot target Kyle Lowry, who was traded by the Miami Heat, even if the Charlotte Hornets release him.
The teams are the Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, and Denver Nuggets. They can only sign buyout players whose contract was worth less than $12.4 million, the same value as the non-tax mid-level exception.
List of first/second apron teams
Golden State
LA Clippers
Boston
Phoenix
Milwaukee
Miami
Denver
These teams are not allowed to sign a player waived during the regular season that had a pre-existing salary of $12.4M+.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 23, 2024
Lowry was traded by the Miami Heat to the Charlotte Hornets for Terry Rozier in a deal that saw the Heat save a ton of money in luxury tax payments, as Lowry is making $29.6 million compared to Rozier’s $23.2 million.
More of these second-apron teams will try to do business with the Hornets before the end of the trade deadline to see if rating with some draft assets can allow them to save some money and likely upgrade with cheaper players.
Unfortunately for Lowry, he won’t have as many options as buyout players in the past have had regarding which team they can join. The Hornets intend to keep Lowry on the roster till the end of the deadline, so it’ll be interesting to see if any team sees value in acquiring him for his massive expiring contract or on-court leadership.
Where Will Kyle Lowry End Up?
It’s fair to say that Lowry’s career is on its last legs. The 37-year-old guard has genuinely built a case to get consideration for the Naismith Hall of Fame, overcoming various challenges on different teams to become a six-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA selection. The 2019 champion will likely be the first jersey to go into the rafters in Toronto, but his career is still ongoing.
The Suns would have been the best on-court fit for him. They need a more dependable point guard than expecting Devin Booker to always run the position. Lowry would create some offensive optionality that frees up both Booker and Beal. His defensive ability has waned with age but his defensive instincts are still strong, and having a communicator like Lowry would give the Suns the marginal improvements they need to be a top team in the West.
Among the 22 teams in the NBA that could acquire him, it seems Toronto would be the best fit. Lowry doesn’t have a lot of high-level basketball left in him, which would make this the perfect opportunity to return to the team where he became a star in the NBA. The Raptors are rebuilding and could use a veteran like Lowry on the roster.
Given the way the Raptors parted ways with other club icons like Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Fred VanVleet, bringing Lowry back to let him play out his career in Toronto would be a great move.
Lowry is averaging 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists this season. He could impart some knowledge to players like Immanuel Quickley while bringing back culture into a locker room that’s been in transition.
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