After nine seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Kyle Lowry elected to join the Miami Heat in the offseason via a sign-and-trade move.
Lowry had been in the rumor mill with multiple teams ahead of his free agency period, including the Dallas Mavericks. But, as was speculated for months, he signed with the Heat on a three-year deal worth $90 million.
As Lowry told Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum on his “Pull Up with CJ McCollum” podcast, he did not put much thought into re-signing with the Raptors as his desire to win another championship pushed him to join Miami.
“This summer, I knew the direction that Toronto was heading in and what they were going to do,” Lowry said. “They aren't trying to tank or anything, they're just going into a situation where those guys are younger and they're gonna let them take the reins, you know?
“And for me, it's championship or bust. Going to Miami, that was a situation where I felt like that's what they want to do. I have a close friend in Jimmy Butler there. And in Miami, that's what they want to do. If you're not playing for championships, what are you playing for? And that's the only thought process that went into my free agency.”
After making an upset run to the NBA Finals in 2020, the Heat fell short of expectations this past season following their Eastern Conference first-round exit at the hands of the eventual NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks.
The Heat have retooled in the offseason with plenty of notable moves, from hauling in Lowry to the key depth addition of P.J. Tucker.
While the Heat are not deemed among the early NBA championship favorites for the upcoming season, they do have plenty of expectations to make a deep run in the playoffs, with Jimmy Butler and Lowry leading the way.
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