Kyle Lowry is perhaps the most talented player in the history of the Toronto Raptors. The six-time All-Star was, in addition to Kawhi Leonard, the most important part of the team’s 2019 championship race, but with Lowry now 34 and the Raptors under 0.500, it may be time for both sides to move on. ahead separate paths. According to Jake Fischer of the Bleacher Report, “there is a part of the Raptors’ staff, said league sources, who believe the franchise should say goodbye to their beloved All-Star and start the next Toronto chapter for real.”
On paper, such a move would make sense. The incentive to keep a franchise icon in place is not as strong with the Raptors playing in Tampa Bay instead of Toronto this season. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are only 26 years old. O Anunoby is 23 years old. The three can form the core of a long-term winner, but only if the rest of the cast is managed properly. Toronto could have a maximum space limit in this off-season, but only if Lowry were allowed to be free. Winning with him now could give the Raptors the goods they would need to replace him in the future.
Finding a business partner would be a rather difficult task from the point of view of the limit. Lowry will win $ 30 million this season, and matching such a large number during a pandemic season will not be easy. This is especially true given the number of likely suitors who have a ceiling. Of the 29 teams Toronto could negotiate with Lowry, 17 are dealing with hardcovers thanks to their off-season moves. Some of these teams have more than enough space below the line to make a move, but others, like the Los Angeles Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks, are pressed against the apron as they are. This does not prevent them from making a deal, but it makes it extremely difficult to aggregate multiple salaries to get to Lowry’s, because it is necessary to leave space to fill the list.
But a player with Lowry’s talent will have many suitors. The Clippers, without a traditional shipowner, would make sense if they could make the money work, although the lack of negotiable options in the first round also complicates the deal. The Miami Heat is in a similar position. Lowry’s hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers, could use a more traditional guard and, unlike Clippers and Heat, they are not tough.
What Toronto would require in such an agreement is not yet clear. In what is preparing to be a sales market, Toronto may have the best player available on the board. They should therefore expect to extract a decent price for Lowry in terms of recruiting assets and young talent, should they decide to transfer him. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reported on Monday that they are interested in Andre Drummond. This suggests a desire to remain competitive with players who are still in their cousins or close.
But the Raptors made their way back to the playoff race after a slow start. They currently hold seed number 9 at the Eastern Conference. If that lasted, they would have at least a chance to reach the postseason through the play-in tournament. This was hardly what the Raptors expected after years of strife, but if the goal continues to win at all costs, Lowry is undoubtedly an essential cog in this company. If, however, the Raptors are looking to the future without Lowry, a deal now makes more sense for all parties involved.