The Toronto Raptors made a savvy move this summer, tacking on an extra year to Kyle Lowry at $30 million to make his contract more appealing to potential trade partners. Yet the Raptors might be too good to go into “sell mode” right away and deal Lowry, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe (h/t Sagar Trika of Blazers Edge).

The deal is still feasible, and while that is only one man's opinion, the jury might still be out on the Raptors and their plans.

Following a rousing 15-4 start to the season, the Raptors have lost four of their last six games, a little dose of reality against contending teams like the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Their next three games will be against teams below the .500 mark — the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, and the Washington Wizards — three teams that can allow the Raptors to build momentum before facing a Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks on Sunday to close out the week.

Yet the decision to trade Lowry will be a gut check, depending on the offers they receive and the team's confidence in making a playoff run without him.

The Raptors have every intention of re-signing Fred VanVleet, which could likely set him up for the keys to the starting point guard position. They will get the most out of VanVleet with Lowry out of the way, but time and their win-loss record will determine whether they go on “sell mode” soon, including the expiring contracts of Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol.