Could the Miami Heat and Kyle Lowry make sense somehow?
By Max Marshall
The Miami Heat need a few more pieces to get over the top and win the NBA Championship. Could Toronto Raptor’s champion, Kyle Lowry, be that piece?
The Miami Heat had a roster worthy of taking them to the NBA Finals this season, but they need to tweak it a bit. That’s a running thought, hold on to that tight as we progress through the next few months.
In that same light, Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors could be in a weird position in this upcoming offseason due to their roster timeline. Obviously unsure of where they would be a year from then and especially with the way this latest season played out, Lowry and Toronto were bound by an extension last October that essentially amounts to a 1-year deal worth $31 Million in the coming season.
Toronto’s roster construction has players of a wide range of ages and different contract timelines in their own rights, so it is fair to ask where Lowry fits with Toronto’s plans moving forward? Lowry’s backcourt mate in Fred VanVleet is an upcoming free agent, who could demand between $18-22 Million in my opinion.
Perhaps Toronto wants him, as in VanVleet, to be the lead ball-handler, while starting Norman Powell to add more size to the backcourt, as the Lowry/VanVleet backcourt is a rather small one to make work defensively.
The Miami Heat need another impact guy and they wouldn’t hurt themselves in adding another ball-handler. Kyle Lowry fits the bill in both areas.
With Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka getting older and both free agents, Toronto could go in a couple of different ways. Toronto could re-sign both, have a bridge year for 2021 free agency, as they are rumored to be in the running for Giannis Antetokoumpo like many other teams.
What will Toronto do this offseason if they can’t resign Ibaka though, who will have a lot of offers and furthermore, what about Gasol? Toronto could lose key players and if they do, how will they improve their team?
The Miami Heat should wait and see what Toronto does this offseason. I say that to say that if Miami thinks they can trade for Lowry, they should definitely make that call.
Even though I don’t care for Lowry on the court because of his non-stop flopping, I would be for Miami acquiring him. He would be a perfect fit for Miami.
Lowry could play with Goran Dragic and Tyler Herro while being able to guard the opposing team’s point guard, something Miami desperately needs to address this offseason. Deeper on the defensive side, Lowry is really good at post defense, which would be a nice wrinkle for Miami when you consider their switching.
Jimmy Butler should have a say in all offseason moves and you would think he would love playing with a guy like Lowry. Butler loves bulldogs and people with a chip on their shoulder.
Lowry has that.
We all just saw what Jimmy Butler can do in the playoffs and adding a guy like Kyle Lowry could potentially even spell him some minutes if needed. With Goran Dragic getting older, it wouldn’t hurt him either to get a bit more rest throughout the year, even with the plan they had him on this past season.
The same could go for Tyler Herro, who although is young, talented, and the future of the Miami Heat, had too much on his plate at times. Let’s wait and see what happens with Toronto this offseason and what cards they are dealt with. If Miami is lucky they might have an opportunity to make a shrewd move for Lowry.