Toronto Raptors: 2 trades that send Kyle Lowry to the Pelicans

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 02: Steven Adams #12 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives to the basket against Chris Boucher #25 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Trade No. 1: Kyle Lowry gets the Raptors a new starting center.

Adams would be a hefty financial burden, as he has a contract that will pay him in excess of $17 million per year in the next two seasons in addition to the 7.5% kicker that comes into play. However, he might be the most intriguing piece that the Raptors could get in return for Lowry in a sign-and-trade.

The New Zealand-born center and part-time Aquaman cosplay extraordinaire might not put up gaudy offensive numbers, but he might be the pound-for-pound strongest player in the NBA. The Raptors don’t have a center on the roster close to Adams’ caliber, and his ultra-brutal style of interior finishing and rebounding should serve Toronto well.

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Steven Adams and Nickeil Alexander-Walker would be quality additions.

Alexander-Walker is a Toronto native who averaged 11.0 points per game during his second year in the pros. While giving up on a player that has already shown so much promise could be tough for the Pelicans to swallow, New Orleans will need to make some tough decisions in order to acquire Lowry.

With the potential to draft a player like Jalen Suggs, a backcourt of Suggs, Fred VanVleet, Alexander-Walker, and Gary Trent Jr. to go along with Adams in the frontcourt is a pretty robust collection of talent.