Toronto Raptors: Passing on Kyle Lowry ruined 76ers title hopes

Kyle Lowry and Toronto Raptors may not have been able to make it to the postseason this year, but they have been able to watch their Atlantic rivals crash and burn before they even make the conference finals. After an injured Brooklyn Nets team lost against Milwaukee in seven games, it was the Philadelphia 76ers’ turn to disappoint their fans. 

Against Trae Young, a white-hot Kevin Huerter, and a deadly Atlanta Hawks team that was thriving on playing tough defense in this series, coach Doc Rivers once again came up short in an elimination game, with the Hawks overcoming a rough shooting night from Young to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

The 76ers were rumored to be one of the teams interested in acquiring Lowry, a Philadelphia native and Villanova alum, at the trade deadline, but Daryl Morey couldn’t pull the trigger after failing to come to an agreement on any kind of trade.

Ultimately, that hesitation came back to bite Morey in the butt. Not only would Lowry have provided the scoring punch they needed, but he would’ve given them some stability in a series in which only Joel Embiid and Seth Curry can look at themselves and say that they played well.

Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry could’ve helped the 76ers.

The most direct impact that Lowry would’ve had was as an upgrade over Ben Simmons. It’s one thing to have a bad night shooting, but it’s another to be so spooked or so infected with whatever the basketball version of Steve Blass disease is that you don’t even attempt to shoot the ball.

Simmons took just three shots in the fourth quarter all series, and his 34% shooting from the free-throw line was the worst percentage in postseason history. He missed more free throws than some TEAMS have. At the very least, Lowry won’t be afraid to shoot it in these clutch scenarios and will come through at the charity stripe.

Morey said that the asking price for Lowry, which likely would’ve included young guard Tyrese Maxey, was “in La La Land”, but it seems Masai Ujiri was being stubborn for a reason. He knew what Lowry could bring to that team, and he was more than happy to withhold him if he didn’t get what he wanted.

The 76ers have trusted the process, and it has earned them a generational talent in Embiid that struggles to stay healthy, a laughably casual and ineffective player on offense in Simmons, and a  tertiary star in Tobias Harris who wet the bed. Lowry could’ve papered over those cracks, but Philly just couldn’t get a deal done. Oh well. Enjoy the postseason at home!