If there was an NBA trade deadline surprise, it was that the Toronto Raptors opted to hold on to point guard Kyle Lowry despite significant trade interest. Now that the deadline has passed, we’re getting a clearer idea why.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, interested teams were concerned that Lowry would turn out to be a rental. The veteran guard is a free agent at the end of the season, and any team that acquired him would have to either give him a significant new contract or accept that he was not staying beyond the end of the season.
In making trade offers for Kyle Lowry, teams had to take into consideration whether he would turn out to be a rental for the season — or if they would be able to meet his contract expectations to stay in free agency. That impacted how far teams were willing to go on him.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
It was widely reported that Toronto had a fairly high asking price in Lowry talks. Teams were simply reluctant to give up valuable long-term assets for what was potentially a short-term rental. That’s particularly true for the Heat, who will have other ways of making further improvements.
The Raptors currently sit 11th in the Eastern Conference, so they have a chance to sneak into the playoffs with Lowry now.
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