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.
Reason to Keep: First Life Time Raptor
If we are being honest the Raptors have had an up and down run in their 26 years of existence. Although the past seven years have been the best in franchise history including a championship, there is one stigma that leaves a bad taste for Raptor fans and that is there has never been a player who has played their whole career as a Raptor.
Granted there are only a handful of players to play their whole career with one team, especially in today’s NBA. However, as a franchise with a reputation of star players leaving the organization, it would be nice for once to keep a great player for the rest of his career.
The Raptors can also keep Kyle long term because they created a lot of cap space for the 2021 offseason the Raptors have the cap space to pay Kyle a respectable contract. The best-case scenario for both sides is if Lowry takes a bit of a pay cut to allow Masai Ujiri to continue to build a winning team around Lowry and the young core.
Kyle Lowry has been the heart and soul of the Raptors during this seven-year run of winning and if the Raptors keep him, he will continue to be just that, and eventually, he will have his jersey retired and maybe a statue put up at Scotiabank Arena in his honor.
Reason to Trade: Stunting the Growth of Younger Players
The second reason the Raptors should consider trading Kyle Lowry is to free up minutes for younger players to develop and grow. Over the last five seasons or so the Raptors have truly established themselves as having one of the best developmental programs in the NBA. Players like Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Terence Davis, and other players have truly showcased the prowess of the Raptors’ developmental system.
With Kyle being 34 years old and soon to be 35, it may be time for the Raptors to move forward and see what talent do they have in their younger players. The most notable player to take over Kyle’s mantle is Fred VanVleet who has already established himself as a top-tier point guard in the NBA. Not to mention Fred plays very similar to Kyle in the sense that both players are intelligent guards who know how to get to the basket and spread the floor. Thus by trading Kyle, it opens up the opportunity for Fred to be the starting point guard and to continue to grow.
Along with Fred, other players in the Raptors system could benefit from more minutes and a bigger role. The first is Terence Davis who had a solid rookie campaign last season and showed flashes of being a solid scorer and creator if given a bigger role. The second player is Matt Thomas who has really showcased himself as a solid rotation player with his ability to space the floor. Finally, the most recent player is rookie Malachi Flynn who really impressed fans with his performance in the preseason and can be a solid piece for the Raptors if given consistent minutes to grow.
Overall the Raptors have an abundance of young players who are looking for an opportunity to showcase their talent in bigger roles. As an organization that prides itself on developing talent, the Raptors should look towards the future and trade away an aging veteran to make room to continue to grow younger players.
Reason to Keep: Veteran Leader and Mentor
On the flip side, another reason the Raptors should keep Kyle Lowry is to maintain his veteran leadership for the young players. As great as Kyle is on the court, one can argue he is just as valuable off the court for his ability to help mentor and develop younger players.
For instance, the most notable player who benefited from Kyle’s mentorship is Fred VanVleet who has spent a lot of time learning under Kyle to help develop himself into the great player we see today. Another player who has benefited from Kyle’s leadership is Pascal Siakam who has learned to deal with the pressure of being a number one option.
Last season Pascal had to take on a larger role on the team which meant that he was faced with a lot of pressure to be successful. Lucky for him Kyle had one of his most productive seasons which really helped Pascal play with more confidence as he had the support of Lowry behind him.
Not to mention Kyle can be a great mentor for the other young guards on the roster including Malachi Flynn, Terence Davis, and even Matt Thomas.
Overall the Raptors still have a lot of young players on their roster and by keeping Lowry who is a high basketball IQ player he can really help grow their young talent for the future.
Reason to Trade: Reward Kyle for his Service
The final reason the Raptors should consider trading Kyle Lowry is to reward him for being an amazing player for the organization. Let’s face it with Giannis now staying in Milwaukee and the 2021 free-agent class getting significantly weaker the chances for the Raptors to get a win-now player is pretty low at the moment.
With that being said, Kyle Lowry is a winning player and as mentioned earlier there are going to be plenty of teams interested in acquiring his services. Thus if the Raptors are going to be taking a step back or two for the next couple of seasons, it makes sense to trade Lowry away to a championship-contending team to reward him for what he has done for the organization during his tenure.
For instance teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, and the Philadelphia 76ers would greatly benefit from getting a player like Lowry. This would also allow Lowry to win another championship before the end of his career.
Although this reason hurts the most for Raptor fans, it’s also the most appropriate way to reward a player that has truly changed the culture and fortune of the organization.
Reason to Keep: Run it Back
The final reason the Raptors should consider keeping Kyle Lowry is to potentially create another championship team around him. As amazing as the 2019 championship was the Raptors would not have won without Kyle Lowry. Not to mention Kyle has shown that he is getting better with age which means he is still a productive player now with championship experience.
Also with the Raptors having so much flexibility moving forward any star player they acquire will be even better next to Kyle Lowry. A perfect example would be if the Raptors traded for or signed Victor Oladipo a lineup of Oladipo, Lowry, VanVleet, Annunoby, and Siakam would be an amazing combination versus without Lowry.
Therefore the Toronto Raptors should keep Kyle Lowry and continue to retool and surround him with quality players who can help the Raptors compete for a championship once again.