LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers may have suffered a setback this year in their quest for championships and glory, but that doesn’t make them any less likely to fight again for a stronger roster and another crack at a deep playoff run. Might Toronto Raptors legend Kyle Lowry be the missing piece they need in free agency?
There were rumblings that the Lakers were pursuing Lowry over the trade deadline, but the deal never landed. Reportedly the Raptors were asking for a package consisting of Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Talen Horton-Tucker but Los Angeles thought that price was a bit too steep. Lowry responded by torching THT and the Lakers.
There was never any doubt in Lowry’s abilities, but a 35-year-old point guard on an expiring contract was a risk they didn’t want to take at that figure.
Now that the Lakers are once again fully committed to retooling, and Lowry is himself a free agent, the question of a Lowry-to-L.A. move must be risen again. The Lakers could use a player like Lowry, according to Bleacher Report, despite the fact that the Miami Heat appears to be Lowry’s preferred destination, per the Ringer.
Report: Kyle Lowry preferred Heat if traded https://t.co/Lh9ZU3KEO3
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) March 29, 2021
Will Kyle Lowry leave the Toronto Raptors for the Lakers?
Lowry leaving via sign-and-trade allow him to make the highest possible figure this next contract due to the Raptors’ newly-cleared cap space, and would in turn allow Toronto to get some nice pieces back in the deal. That’s all well and good, only it’d be tough to make a sign-and-trade work with the Lakers.
Locked into two massive contracts (LeBron and AD make $76 million combined next season), in possession of a win-now team full of players in their prime, and bereft of draft picks, the Lakers don’t have a lot to offer a rebuilding franchise like the Raptors.
How could the Lakers get Kyle Lowry?
The simplest way would be for the Lakers to sign him straight up as a free agent. Despite the batch of speculation about a potential Lowry sign-and-trade, the six-time All-Star is still an unrestricted free agent. Kyle has all the power here.
The Lakers have around $28 million in expiring deals this offseason. That cap room will be useful to reconstruct their roster, but everyone must understand that for the Lakers, signing Lowry would also mean letting Dennis Schroder walk. Two point guards who expect contracts between $14 and $22 million this offseason?
Rob Pelinka has to know that acquiring Lowry means parting ways with Schroder. Maybe they’re ok with that, but it’s not as cut and dry as just a regular old free agency signing.
Of course, the biggest draw for L.A. is adding another complimentary star to the one-two punch of LeBron and Davis. Lowry has always been the kind of All-Star to make his teammates better, and he’s never played with a duo like this before. His defense, shooting, and locker room presence were all irreplaceable to the Raptors’ 2019 title run.
For Lowry, the Lakers represent his best hope to taste that victory champagne again before he retires. Lowry knows he’s about to sign the last big contract of his career.
Does he want to chase an extra ring? Or does he want a few more pennies in his pocket? It’s a good problem to have.
Why the Lakers may not get Kyle Lowry
There are a few things standing between L.A. and a title run involving Kyle Lowry, most notably LA’s lack of flexibility and Lowry’s desire to head to South Beach.
Cap room, trade assets, draft picks, age, fit. None of it matters if Lowry doesn’t want to play for the Lakers. He is the master of his own destiny this summer. He will be able to pick his team, the only difference is how much money he’d be willing to sacrifice to get there.
The second reason this move won’t happen is that LA has next to nothing that would interest the Raptors in a sign-and-trade. If Lowry decides he wants that extra financial security and signs a bigger deal in Toronto before getting traded, then the sword of negotiating power moves from Lowry Masai Ujiri.
With Lowry under contract, Ujiri can now shop him around to any team he likes and essentially auction his point guard off to the highest bidder. And if it becomes that kind of war for Lowry’s services, the Lakers are already at a big disadvantage.
Here’s what the Lakers have to offer. older players who the Raptors don’t want, weak draft picks because they sold them all to New Orleans in the Davis deal, and one B tier 21-year-old in Horton-Tucker. Not exactly wowing the Raptors with any trade packages there.
As fans, we should prepare ourselves for a Lowry departure, but I think there are too many hoops to hop through for the Lakers to be his landing spot. It’s not inconceivable, but unless Lowry has his heart set on L.A., I’d expect to see him elsewhere.