Kyle Lowry #7 of the Miami Heat.
The Miami Heat have seen their fair share of ups and downs so far this season. Fortunately, their most recent stretch has been one of the better parts of the year. Miami has won 15 of their last 22 games, most recently beating the league-best Boston Celtics. The victory brought the Heat’s record to 27-22, which is good enough for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Miami’s strong stretch of play has made things interesting for Pat Riley and the front office with the February 9 NBA Trade Deadline quickly approaching. The current roster has shown some promise, but still isn’t quite at the same level as the other giants in the East. If the Heat are interested in an upgrade, Kyle Lowry may be the player that they need to move on from.
Wes Goldberg, host of the Locked On Heat Podcast, suggested a trade that would rid the Heat of Lowry in exchange for some solid depth from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Heat Receive: Marcus Morris Sr., Reggie Jackson
Clippers Receive: Kyle Lowry
“Sending Lowry to L.A. for Morris Sr. and Jackson, for instance, would give the Heat a starting power forward and backup point guard,” Goldberg wrote. “With enough playmaking between (Tyler) Herro, (Bam) Adebayo, and (Jimmy) Butler, Miami wouldn’t need a traditional point guard in the starting lineup.”
Goldberg explained that the Clippers would be inclined to make the move as a team looking for a point guard. Lowry would be their cheapest option in terms of the available guards.
“While the Clippers have also been tied to Utah’s Mike Conley and Toronto’s Fred VanVleet, the asking price for them will be significantly more, and likely include draft picks and/or young players that the Clippers don’t have, than what Lowry would cost,” he detailed.
Goldberg’s proposed deal would be great for the Heat, they’d get off of Lowry’s lucrative contract, while bringing in some key rotation pieces in the former-first-round picks.
Clippers Interested In Trading For Heat’s Kyle Lowry: Report
The above trade could very well happen if the Heat decide that they want to move on from the aging guard. On January 24, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported that the Clippers do have interest in Lowry.
“League sources say the Clippers are also interested in Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet,” O’Connor wrote. “Lowry makes $28.3 million, and his decline with the Heat has been even more apparent this season than (Mike) Conley’s dip with the Jazz. Conley ranks 84th in our Top 100 NBA Player Rankings, while Lowry fell out entirely in the most recent update.”
Heat Teammates Praise Kyle Lowry After Clutch Performance
Lowry still remains a member of the Heat, as no trades have happened as of January 27. He recently put together a clutch performance in the team’s January 22 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
In that game, he scored nine straight points in the fourth quarter to lead Miami to the victory.
After the clutch outing, his teammates, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, showered him with praise.
“You could just see his life grow. I know that sounds crazy but, as a basketball player when you get nine straight, it’s one of those things where we call that a heat check… It’s just one of those things where the basket looks like the ocean,” Adebayo told the media via Bally Sports Sun: Heat.
Bam Adebayo postgame press conference covers the end of the game, the Heat defense, Kyle Lowry and more 🔊
“I thought it was good to see,” said Herro via Bally Sports Sun: Heat. “You know Kyle, he can do that anytime that he really wants… He’s a seasoned vet, he’s closed many games, a lot of big games, and right now he’s just choosing to differ to me, Bam, and Jimmy (Butler), but there’s plenty of opportunities in front of us where he’ll be able to be aggressive and he knows, and we all know that he can do that and he’s capable of that still.”
Tyler Herro speaks after the HEAT victory against the Pelicans as the Heat have won 5 of their last 7