Here’s what Raptors must to do bring back Kyle Lowry amid trade rumors

When Kyle Lowry first joined the Toronto Raptors back in 2012, he was guaranteed nothing more than a backup role to Jose Calderon. Just a few short months later, Toronto shipped Calderon off to Detroit, the bulldog from North Philly stepped into the No. 1 role, and the rest is history.

As the Raptors’ all-time career leader in assists (4,277), steals (873), and 3-point field goals (1,518), it’s hard to argue against Lowry as the GROAT. That is partially why fans were so distraught when the six-time All-Star decided to take his talents to South Beach just two years after winning an NBA championship in Toronto.

According to Ric Bucher of Fox Sports, Miami is apparently “willing to move” the 37-year-old point guard due to his age, money owed, and the team’s current state. Currently, the Heat are 10th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 11-13, and Lowry is owed $58 million (guaranteed) over the next two years, per Spotrac.

With Miami being in “win-now” mode after reaching the NBA Finals in 2020 and then the Eastern Conference Finals just a season ago, it’s easy to see why the team might be searching for more immediate production.

Even if Lowry has been putting up respectable numbers this season, averaging more points (14.6), minutes (36.4), and assists (6.0) per game than he did in his first year with the Heat.

The question becomes what sort of return would an aging point guard generate on the open market, and would the Toronto Raptors have enough to turn fantasy into reality?

What could the Toronto Raptors offer to bring back Kyle Lowry?

The issue is finding a team willing to take on Lowry’s contract, which along with his age, isn’t exactly “team-friendly.”

The Raptors would need to give up a good amount given their current salary cap. They also have some big contracts set to expire by 2024, including Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr, all of whom are essential to the Raptors’ rotation.

With an average annual salary of $28.3 million, Lowry is far from an easy piece to move. However, there is one potential trade offer that could get the deal done.

Unfortunately for Toronto, this is the only somewhat realistic trade scenario if they want to bring Kyle Lowry back to Canada this season. With how substantially large his salary is at the moment, the Raptors would have to be willing to part with Trent, whom they just traded for and re-signed to a three-year deal in 2021.

What makes this decision even more challenging is how well GTJ has been playing since coming to Toronto. In his first season with the Raptors, Trent saw career-high averages across the board, including points (18.3), assists (2.0), steals (1.7), and minutes (35.0), all while shooting better than 38% from beyond the arc and 85% from the charity stripe.

Even though his numbers have dipped down slightly this season, he still provides shooting on a team in dire need of that skill. He also put up 35 points against the Pelicans just a few nights ago, which is a level of production any team would be happy to receive out of their third, and sometimes, fourth scoring option on offense.

Is this a realistic trade for the Raptors?

If this trade was to go down, the Toronto Raptors would be getting back a true franchise legend and emotional leader to help push them over the top. They would also be getting Haywood Highsmith, who is 6-8 with a seven-foot wingspan, which you know already has Masai Ujiri salivating.

The Raptors are all about guys who are multi-positional defenders that they can develop into legitimate NBA talent, and that’s exactly what Trent brings to the table. They also parted ways with Lowry in the first place to promote VanVleet, so trading Trent for Lowry feels like one step forward, two steps back.

What makes Kyle Lowry so special to Raptors fans is that his career almost exactly mirrors the franchise he once carried to an NBA title. He started out as a disgruntled journeyman who was undersized, undervalued, and underappreciated, only to then mold into a perennial All-Star, NBA champion, and future Hall of Famer.

A true “rags to riches” story unlike anything else in Raptors franchise history.

There’s no question that No. 7 will one day hang down from the rafters in Scotiabank Arena, but the odds of him returning to play for the city are slim, at least for the time being. However, slim doesn’t mean nonexistent.