Imran Ebrahim Continued
I thought not. Trading Goran Dragic in the deal would send out a ball-handler for another, albeit for one that has a bit more defensive capabilities. But Dragic comes off the books by the off-season so he could easily be re-upped for a much lower price, all while he’s a few years younger than Lowry.
Now with all the drama that surrounds Dion Waiters and James Johnson, would that be something that the Raptors would consider as they hand the keys to the point guard position to Fred VanVleet? It’s possible, but highly unlikely in my opinion.
To match salaries, I still imagine Winslow would have to be paired with Waiters, to offload the player that the Heat have apparently been trying to shop since Christmas. At that price, it’s not worth it. No matter how many charges Kyle Lowry can take.
Do you think the Heat will make it happen?
While I do think that trading for Kyle Lowry is MUCH more reasonable and likely than trading for someone like Chris Paul, I don’t see this happening. Trading for Lowry keeps the goal of clearing space for the 2021 offseason, but at what price?
Seeing as how Winslow and newcomer Jimmy Butler have gelled on and off the court, it might not be the best idea to ship off one of the star’s buddies. The thing that Lowry has going for him though is that he plays in the mold of Butler. He’s ready to scrap with anyone, doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty by diving for loose balls and things of that nature, and (in complete Miami Heat fashion) is one of the best in the league in taking charges.
In the most recent postseason, one that saw Lowry come away with a ring, Lowry more than doubled his competition when it came to drawing charges. He had 16 charges drawn; Damian Lillard came in 2nd with seven, and Draymond Green ended with six. If that doesn’t scream Heat Culture to you, I don’t know what will.
In the end, I think the Heat will continue to value their younger and cheaper talent over acquiring this specific veteran. Realistically, the team has a ceiling of the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference and adding Kyle Lowry to the mix doesn’t guarantee a Finals bid. With that being the case, just keep it rolling while developing the talent around Butler, which includes a nucleus of Winslow, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Derrick Jones Jr.