Getty Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors looks to pass during a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Amalie Arena on January 16, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.
With both Avery Bradley and Goran Dragic out with the injuries, the Miami Heat could use a reliable veteran guard on their roster before the playoff season begins. According to Bleacher Report‘s Jake Fischer, the Heat have their eye on Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry.
Lowry, 34, who’s averaging 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game, will become a free agent after the regular season ends. The Raptors, despite having seven players still on their team from their championship 2018-2019 season, currently have a less-than-stellar 10-13 record and sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat are doing even worse with a 9-14 record, but there’s still hope that Miami can turn things around after being ravaged by COVID-19 and a continuous rotation of players getting injured.
Fischer wrote, “Finding a destination for Lowry may be more complicated this season. He’ll turn 35 the day of the trade deadline, and his one-year, $30.5 million deal will be a huge number to introduce into a team’s cap sheet.”
“Lowry’s age and the length of his contract may limit his most likely suitors to championship contenders,” Fischer continued. “And while they’ve been mired in their own slow start, the Heat still hold title aspirations and have long shown interest in Lowry.
“He’s a very Miami-type player,” an Eastern team official agreed. “Gritty, tough.”
Why Lowry’s Time May Finally Be Up in Toronto
GettyKyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors passes during a game at Amalie Arena on January 04, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.
Lowry has long been the main hero of the Toronto Raptors. The six-time All-Star has been with the team since the 2012-2013 season, and despite his age, Lowry continues to be a force of production on the court.
While the Heat don’t have any draft picks to trade, “they could move on him at the trade deadline,” according to Heat Nation, “and match salaries to add him to their roster spot for a playoff run.”
As for what’s causing Lowry to split from Toronto, an Eastern Conference coach believes the Raptors want to build up their young talent and possibly shift the focus to 26-year-old guard Fred VanVleet, whom Lowry considers to be his “little bro.”
“Young guys can’t blossom until you move on from Lowry because the pecking order is still set from the top,” one Eastern Conference coach told Bleacher Report. “If you’re trying to reshape your roster, one thing you need to avoid is duplication.”
The Raptors have unsuccessfully tried multiple times before to trade Lowry, Clutch Points reported, so fans will have to wait and see what happens by the trade deadline.
The Heat Would Have to Trade Up Big Talent to Obtain Lowry
GettyTyler Herro #14 and Duncan Robinson #55 of the Miami Heat react against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on January 12, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Lowry will not come cheap, nor do the Heat appear willing to give up their top young talent. Fischer believes that Miami would have to put either Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro on the chopping block if they’re serious about obtaining Lowry, the same names that were being tossed out amid James Harden rumors earlier in the season.
“The Heat have never appeared keen to move either,” league sources told Bleacher Report, but they also don’t want to waste the All-Star combination that is Bam Adebayo and a Jimmy Butler in his prime.
“You know with Pat Riley, nothing’s off the table,” one rival executive said.
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