Are the Toronto Raptors trading or keeping Kyle Lowry? Their success, winning record and his ability point towards him remaining until the end of the season, while his contract situation and the overall direction the franchise is trying to take suggest he’s still out there for teams to try and get.
According to ESPN and Marc Stein, Lowry is still gettable. Masai Ujiri went on court to hug with Lowry after a great game from the point guard led the Raptors to a 104-103 win over the Nets with a 31-point performance. Lowry is averaging 16.4 points and 7.5 assists this season, playing more minutes than ever before in his career and being one of the main reasons the Raptors have gone 17-8 since trading Rudy Gay.
The chemistry and the ability have changed the inner workings for the Raptors this season. From a team set out to tank their way into a lottery pick, things have changed. They’re not the 76ers, Bucks or Orlando Magic; the Raptors are one of the few Eastern teams who can consistently win, and have been, this season. It doesn’t seem like they’re going to be throwing away the chance of making the postseason.
But the problem with Lowry is him becoming a free agent this summer. The Raptors want to get something out of this, but no team is willing to take Lowry and give the Raptors something worthy in return. His contract is a $6.2 million cap hit – not a huge relief for any team, but even without him, the Raptors don’t have too much space under the cap next season, which means they can’t sign someone to replace him and help them win at the same pace in the short term.
So how do they go about this one? Lowry is still out there, and playing like someone on a contract year, trying to prove a point both to his employers and suitors, while the Raptors wait for someone to raise their hand and come up with a satisfying offer, or simply let this one play out and let Lowry play till the end of the season, helping Toronto make the playoffs for the first time since 2008.