Raptors GM jokes about Kyle Lowry serving as player-coach

The Toronto Raptors are short on coaches Friday night, but one particularly intriguing option won’t be happening.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse and five other members staff were forced to quarantine due to health and safety protocols. Assistant Sergio Scariolo will coach the team in Nurse’s absence.

There had been some half-serious chatter about point guard Kyle Lowry serving in some sort of player-coach role, but general manager Bobby Webster ruled it out with a pretty funny line.

Webster, asked if they considered deploying Kyle Lowry as a player-coach: "I don't know if we have the budget to add that to his resume"

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 26, 2021

Unfortunately, Lowry couldn’t have done it even if the Raptors wanted. Marc Stein of the New York Times points out that the league forbids such arrangements, and has since the start of the salary cap era.

Lowry in that kind of role could have been even more awkward given that he’s the subject of trade rumors right now.

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