Getty Los Angeles Lakers' Rob Pelinka & Frank Vogel.
During the regular season, there was debate regarding whether or not the Los Angeles Lakers should trade for Toronto Raptors All-Star Kyle Lowry. The veteran point guard is still one of the best in the business and would’ve given the team a legitimate third star. However, the price would’ve been steep
The Raptors wanted Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Talen Horton-Tucker for Lowry. At 35-years-old and headed for free agency, that would’ve been a risky move for the Lakers to make. They ended up passing but could be wishing they made the move in hindsight after getting bounced early in the playoffs.
Los Angeles can’t change their decision but they could revisit it. Lowry is set to free agency and while The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported that the guard preferred to go to the Miami Heat than the Lakers, he could always change his mind with a little persuasion. According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, Los Angeles needs to make another run at Lowry:
The Lakers made an attempt to add Kyle Lowry at the trade deadline, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Bill Oram. They should chase the tenacious floor general again, though he can only arrive via a sign-and-trade. If he’s interested in such an arrangement, though, he could cure a lot of this roster’s ills.
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Sign-and-Trade Could Be Difficult to Pull Off
The major issue facing the Lakers and their quest to land a third star is that it’s going to difficult to make the money work. As Buckley pointed out, they’ll need to do a sign-and-trade to land a player like Lowry. The Lakers would need Dennis Schroder to be open to a sign-and-trade to Toronto if they’re going to make a Lowry acquisition work.
It’s not a given that Schroder would be willing to help the team out. Toronto isn’t exactly the most glamourous market in the NBA. There could be other ways for the Lakers to make the money work but it won’t be easy.
Would Lowry Even Want to Come to Los Angeles?
At the end of the day, everything is contingent on the idea that Lowry would even want to join the Lakers. As previously noted, he preferred to get traded to Miami during the season. Though both teams got knocked out in the first round of the players, the Lakers clearly have the better team and are closer to competing for a championship next season.
However, Lowry only has so many years left and could simply find the city of Miami more appealing than Los Angeles. Also, playing for the Lakers would mean he’s playing third fiddle to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Considering he’s always been the first or second star since joining the Raptors, it might not excite him to fall down the totem pole. That said, winning championships is very alluring. If the Brooklyn Nets continue to dominate the postseason, that could lead to more stars wanting to form a superteam to stop them.
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