Toronto Raptors: 3 Reasons to Trade and 3 Reasons to Keep Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry is in the final year of his contract with the Toronto Raptors, and they’ll have to think about his future as a Raptor.

Now that Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially signed the super-max extension to stay in Milwaukee, the Toronto Raptors have a lot of questions not only heading into this upcoming season but also the 2021 offseason.

It has been well documented that the Raptors were clearing up cap space and maintaining flexibility to pursue Giannis in free agency. However, with Giannis now locked up long term, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster need to figure out what new direction they should take the Raptors in.

Specifically, the biggest question mark surrounding the Raptors is the future of Kyle Lowry. Lowry is currently on an expiring deal worth about $30 million, which means he will be a free agent at the end of this season.

Every Raptors fan knows that Kyle Lowry is arguably the greatest Raptor of all time, however, he is currently 34 years old and isn’t getting any younger. That being said with the Raptors looking to change direction as a franchise, and Lowry is on an expiring deal it’s time to consider whether to trade Lowry or keep him long term.

Reason to Trade: Expensive Contract

The first reason the Raptors should consider trading Lowry is to get rid of his $30 million cap hit and obtain some assets for him, rather than potentially losing him for nothing. Let’s face it, although Lowry has been fantastic in the later years of his career one can argue his production doesn’t equate to a $30 million contract.

Combine that with Pascal Siakam’s extension ($34 million annually), the Fred VanVleet extension ($21 million annually), and the new OG Annunoby extension ($18 million annually) the Raptors need to save money where ever they can to maintain flexibility moving forward.

Not to mention with Lowry’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, there are going to be plenty of teams looking to acquire his services. This means it may not be a bad idea to look into what a potential Lowry trade can get, especially if Kyle isn’t willing to take a pay cut to stay with the Raptors long term.

Another benefit of trading his contract is that it helps in matching salary with other top tier players. For instance, if the Raptors wanted to go after a player like Bradley Beal they can offer Lowry’s expiring deal to perfectly match salaries while also not having to give up any of their core young pieces.

Overall it’s no secret that Kyle Lowry has a big contract, but he also is a great player on an expiring deal who could potentially help another contending team while returning a haul for the Raptors in a potential trade.