Three days until the NBA trade deadline and the Kyle Lowry sweepstakes is heating up. Literally. Two separate reports have identified the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers as the leading candidates to land Lowry’s services in the Eastern Conference.
The six-time All-Star guard has maintained (via his agent) that he has no desire to leave the Toronto Raptors. However, the two sides have yet to agree to a contract extension and the 34-year-old appears ready to chase one more championship.
Lowry has strong connections to Sixers president Daryl Morey who helped orchestrate a three-team trade for the former first-round pick in 2009 when Morey was working in the Houston Rockets’ front office. Lowry is making $30 million in base salary in 2021, but he’s an unrestricted free agent next year.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Heat and Sixers have emerged as the “leaders in pursuit to acquire Lowry” from the Raptors. They are asking for draft picks and at least one young player in return. Philly could theoretically offer a young guard like Tyrese Maxey or Isaiah Joe or Matisse Thybulle, while Danny Green’s name has popped up as a veteran asset to alleviate the salary cap hit.
Meanwhile, the Heat simply doesn’t have the draft capital to send Toronto’s way so they would have to sweeten the pot with multiple young players like Kendrick Nunn and Precious Achiuwa, with Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro likely to at least be a part of that conversation. ESPN’s Zach Lowe called the Sixers the “most reasonable landing spot” for Lowry due to Philly holding an expendable first-round pick. The Raptors would have to “love Achiuwa” to get a deal done with Miami.
This Thursday is Kyle Lowry’s birthday. That’s it.
Joel Embiid Rehabbing Ahead of Schedule
Joel Embiid has been out since March 12 with a bone bruise in his left knee, an injury that looked worse when it first happened. The All-Star center was given a recovery timetable of two to three weeks. It looks as if Embiid might be back on the lower end of that estimate and he’s “feeling a lot better than he expected,” per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. In fact, Embiid may be back sooner.
Our #NBA Insider @ShamsCharania shares details on Joel Embiid’s injury and more on the @sixers.
The Sixers have gone 4-1 since Embiid’s latest ailment, including a thrilling overtime victory on Sunday night. The backup center combination of Tony Bradley and Dwight Howard has been holding down the fort, while Tobias Harris continues to show why he should have been an All-Star.
Lowry’s Preferred Destination is Miami
Lowry is a Philly native who grew up rooting on the Sixers. He went to Cardinal Dougherty for high school, then starred locally at Villanova University. The Philadelphia Eagles invited him out to training camp a few years back and he gave the team a pep talk. He’s got that underdog mentality running through his veins.
Could Kyle Lowry be traded before the deadline in 3 weeks?
Could he possibly come home to the Sixers?
Eagles sent him some gifts 👍🏼
“Care package from the home team”
📸 @Klow7
However, there is a report out there indicating that Lowry’s preferred trade destination is Miami and not Philadelphia. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, Lowry has a close friendship with Heat superstar Jimmy Butler and would like to team up with him in South Beach. He wrote the following:
League sources say the Heat are pursuing a deal for Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry harder than anyone, though the Clippers and Sixers retain interest. Lowry recently said he wants to retire with the Raptors even if he needs to sign a one-day contract. But if he gets dealt, league sources say his preferred destination is Miami because of his close friendship with Jimmy Butler.
Bring it in.
Kyle Lowry x Jimmy Butler!
The Sixers own the top spot in the Eastern Conference at 30-13. The Heat are fifth in the standings at 22-21.
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Kyle Lowry Trade Sweepstakes Down to 2 Eastern Conference Teams