Toronto Raptors: Brian Windhorst thinks Kyle Lowry-Lakers rumors are a smokescreen

The Toronto Raptors are staring a pivotal moment in franchise history right in the face, as Kyle Lowry could be on the move due to Toronto’s nine-game losing streak putting them outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to acquire the future Hall of Famer.

Lowry has been most frequently linked to the Philadelphia 76ers, his hometown team, and the Miami Heat, who have three potential starting guards to give to Toronto in exchange for Lowry. Despite that, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers haven’t gone away just yet.

The Lakers seem like an odd fit for Lowry given the lack of assets that they could flip Toronto’s way in a potential trade, and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst isn’t giving those rumblings the time of day given how unlikely they are.

Speaking on TV earlier Thursday, Windhorst claimed that the rumors of Lowry going to the Lakers are a “smokescreen”, as he believes the Raptors are using this Lakers interest in order to drive up the price from either Miami or Philadelphia.

Can the Lakers afford Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry?

ESPN’s Bobby Marks hinted earlier today that a potential package that could be sent to Toronto in exchange for Lowry would include Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Talen Horton-Tucker. While the Raptors would get a new starter in Schroder and plenty of depth, this isn’t an amazing deal.

As good as Schroder is, Caldwell-Pope has two years left on his contract, which could make it difficult for the Raptors to build around that deal in the future. Furthermore, Horton-Tucker is too much of an unknown quantity to acquire in exchange for Lowry, so this deal could get crossed off the list.

While getting a young guard in return should be the main priority, the Anthony Davis trade has left the Lakers with barely any draft capital to give to Toronto in exchange for Lowry. Trading him for one starting guard and two backups without draft compensation wouldn’t be a very wise move from Masai Ujiri.

Lowry very clearly has a market for his services, and Toronto could send him to a contender willing to part with most of their young assets. The Lakers, however, don’t have enough bargaining chips in order to sweeten the deal, and that inability to meet what could be some very lofty demands could take them out of the sweepstakes for Lowry.