Getty Kyle Lowry is a likely buyout candidate.
Former Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry could be headed for the buyout market, and one former NBA player took to social media to give Lowry a warning: stay away from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Former NBA shooting guard and small forward Evan Turner, who spent 10 years in the league, took to social media sent the following message to Lowry on X (formerly Twitter) seemingly without provocation.
“Do not go to the Lakers, they are trying to make you the fall guy,” Turner wrote, adding: “Think about your legacy.”
Turner played for five teams over his career, but the Lakers weren’t one of them. He was the No. 2 overall pick for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2010 NBA draft. It’s unclear why Turner issued Lowry such a strong warning against joining the Lakers, who remain one team who has the option of signing him if he hits the buyout market.
Former Heat Starter Kyle Lowry’s Future Remains a Question Mark, Lakers Possible Landing Spot
Under the new CBA rules, contenders such as Phoenix, Milwaukee, Boston, and Denver cannot acquire Kyle Lowry through the buyout market, as his salary exceeds the Mid-Level Exception threshold, per @basketballtalk
Lowry was part of the trade package Miami sent to Charlotte in exchange for point guard Terry Rozier on January 23. The veteran PG’s stay with the Hornets will likely be short-lived, however.
“The Hornets will work to move Lowry, 37, onto another team before the deadline, but short of finding a deal for him and his $29.6 million expiring contract, he could eventually become a contract buyout candidate,” NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported shortly after Miami traded Lowry.
Woj isn’t the only one reporting Lowry is headed to the buyout market.
“One league source suggested the Hornets will probably buy Lowry out of the remainder of his contract, giving the veteran opportunity to choose his next destination,” Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer wrote on January 24.
Due to a new amendment put in place to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2023, players who have been cut or wind up on the buyout market who had salaries over $12.4 million cannot be signed by teams that have a taxable salary above $172.4 million. That eliminates teams like the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks from signing Lowry.
The Lakers are still a potential landing spot, though.
Heat Have Yet to Win a Game Since Trading for Guard Terry Rozier
Jimmy Butler says him and the Heat need Terry Rozier to be the 20.0+ PPG scorer that he has been all season
“We want him to be him. That’s the reason he’s here.”
“We’re all in his corner to shoot the ball, be aggressive, to attack.”
Rozier went from 23.2 PPG in Charlotte this…
Since adding Rozier, the Heat have dropped three straight. Including those three games, Miami has lost seven of its last 10. Rozier has yet to find his groove since coming to South Beach, but the team expects the veteran shooting guard to gel with his new teammates soon.
After averaging 23.2 points in 35.5 minutes per contest with the Hornets this season, Rozier’s scoring has dipped. He’s putting up just 8.7 pints a game in his first three games with the Heat.
“He’ll figure it out,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said about Rozier, via The Miami Herald. “He’s trying to fit in and I get that. We’re all saying the same thing. We want Terry to be Terry. He’s going to unlock other things for us. You can see the burst that he gives us, the rim pressure, which we need. That’s not just the head coach saying that, that’s his teammates saying that.”
Rozier’s best game with Miami was his most recent, as he scored 10 points while also dishing out seven assists in the Heat’s 125-109 loss to the Knicks on January 27. That’s a good sign, and it should only be a matter of time before the Heat’s newest addition is putting up 20+ points per game again.