The Toronto Raptors have not gotten off to the start they had hoped for after coming a quarter away from the Eastern Conference Finals. Kyle Lowry signed a one-year $30 million contract during free agency and is set to enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
Despite this being the most successful era in Raptors franchise history, Toronto has come up short in nearly every playoff run excluding their one-year rental of Kawhi Leonard.
Now, General Manager Masai Ujiri has to decide if this core is worth preserving, especially considering the contracts that Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Lowry are currently on.
He and the Raptors faltered again in the postseason, falling to Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Lowry averaged 17 points on 39% shooting. While those numbers are solid, it doesn’t match his contract. When free agency hits, Lowry will be 34 years old. His better years are likely behind him, something that the Raptors have apparently considered.
With Kyle Lowry on the trading block, teams in need of a point guard will likely hop on it. Here are the top four landing spots for the veteran ahead of the 2021 NBA trade deadline.
4. San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have been in need of Tony Parker‘s successor since 2016. They thought that Dejounte Murray was that guy, but that hasn’t worked out. While Lowry is up there in age, he can fill in that role and mentor the young players that San Antonio is banking on for the future.
And he will be reunited with his best friend DeMar DeRozan. Kyle Lowry would provide DeRozan with another two-way threat– taking the pressure off him to do everything on the offensive end.
Gregg Popovich has always worked wonders with D-League prospects and unknown names from overseas, so the idea of him having another All-Star point guard under his tutelage would be a frightening one for the rest of the league.
Having Lowry at the point and Murray backing him up off the bench adds even more depth to a Spurs team trying to compete in a loaded Western Conference.
Patty Mills is a name who could go the other way back to Toronto. Of course, the Spurs could end up being sellers too, which is why they're at the end of this list.
3. Miami Heat
Youth is an asset in the NBA. Right now the Miami Heat asset have that in key areas. Bam Adebayo is 23 years old, Tyler Herro is 21 years old, and Duncan Robinson is 26. These young guns have already proven they can make key plays in big moments, despite their lack of experience. Imagine adding a veteran floor general to that mix– one who already has a piece of jewelry on his finger.
Kyle Lowry would be able to help out the Heat’s backcourt defensive problems and would allow for Herro to play his original game.
When Butler or Dragic has to miss time, the Heat often turns to Herro to be a playmaker. While Herro is very capable of creating for himself, he hasn’t shown that he can consistently create for others. Throwing Lowry into the mix would allow for Herro to play his natural position and give that backcourt a much-needed boost defensively. The Heat would lose nothing in rebounding, and when Butler returns he won’t have to carry such a heavy load.
Goran Dragic is 34 years old and injury-prone. It is never a player’s fault when they get hurt, but at the end of the day, the Heat suffered because of his absence in the NBA Finals. Despite his age, Lowry has shown he is durable and plays both ends.
The Heat have floor spacing and an explosive inside presence. With sharpshooters running the wings and a respected rim runner, Kyle Lowry will be able to do what he did when he won his first championship. That Toronto team had a mix of quality shooting, an elite two-way wing, an inside presence, and Lowry. Herro and Robinson cover shooting, Jimmy Butler is the superstar, and Bam is the inside presence. The only missing piece would be Lowry, and now he is up for grabs.
This move could send Goran Dragic and a future draft asset to the Raptors.
2. Los Angeles Clippers
Early in free agency, there were reports that the Clippers– at the request of Kawhi Leonard– were in search of a true point guard. Leonard’s successful runs have come on teams with traditional points guards.
His season with the Raptors was alongside Kyle Lowry, a true PG. That formula resulted in a championship. Kawhi’s developmental years were in San Antonio next to Tony Parker, one of the league’s all-time floor generals. That formula resulted in a championship.
When it comes to Leonard and the Clippers searching for floor general, it’s easy to understand why. So why not just run it back with the guy he won his recent championship with?
Lowry can be the floor general for this Clipper team. He would be able to find Paul George and Leonard in their sweet spots and would be the perfect compliment for the Clippers’ bench unit.
Kyle Lowry is not only an excellent floor general, but he’s also a capable defender. He is able to force opposing guards out of their spots and he gets his hands on a lot of passes and it’s impossible to ignore his knack for drawing charges. Considering the Clippers’ identity is supposed to be built on defense, this deal seems like a no brainer.
1. Philadelphia 76ers
Finally, we have Lowry going back to the city where it all started. The Philadelphia native starred in both high school and college in the city of Brotherly Love before spending his entire professional career (to this point) in Toronto. With the 76ers in a three-team race with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks for Eastern Conference supremacy in 2021, adding Lowry could put them over the top as the favorite.
The point guard's ability to create shots from the perimeter would provide the final missing ingredient for this budding juggernaut. Rumors about Philadelphia's interest in Lowry surfaced a couple weeks back, and while he maintains his desire to stay in Toronto, the Sixers give him a great chance to win another championship before hitting the open market.
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