Kyle Lowry, on paper, appears to be an ideal trade candidate. He is on the verge of turning 35 and has a running contract with a younger Raptors team who have carefully carved something out of the maximum headroom this offseason. Yet every indication up to the deadline indicates that the birds of prey are not planning to move Lowry.
Josh Lewenberg of TSN reported Thursday that the Raptors are telling interested teams that they have no plans to trade Lowry. SportsNet’s Michael Grange issued a similar report, and Lowry’s agent Mark Bartelstein denied rumors that Lowry would join the Philadelphia 76ers in February. There is still plenty of time before the March 25 deadline, but for now it does not look like the birds of prey are in a hurry to move Lowry.
Of course, these reports can all make use of plays. The more ardently Toronto clings to the possibility of retaining Lowry, the more opposing teams will believe they have to give up to get him. It is quite possible that the Raptors are very open to Lowry, but not at the price that other teams have been willing to pay so far. Lowry is still an All-Star player, and Toronto would justify claiming a package that reflects that.
There is also the possibility that the birds of prey have warmed up to the idea of retaining Lowry after this season. Yes, if they do, they’ll probably rob the chopping block they’ve cut out for this off-season, but with Norman Powell improving so much that keeping him would be pretty expensive now, the Raptors can simply believe that their own players are better. are as their alternatives to free agent. They saved their cap space in the expectation that they would make a turn at Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has now signed with the Bucks again. So it’s the best option to keep Lowry and Powell next season.
Nothing is ever certain on the NBA deadline. No matter what teams plan to do, one surprising offer can change the whole equation. At the moment, it does not look like the birds of prey are likely to trade Lowry. That could easily change in the next week, and if a recent history of the NBA is any indication, chances are it will happen.