Rumors of Kyle Lowry‘s status have been all over the place in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. There were talks that he had been telling people around him that he was sure he’d be dealt and while he publicly batted down those rumors, there may be fire behind the smoke.
Lowry wants to compete for a championship this season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic, and the Heat and Sixers are seen as the leaders for his services.
Lowry is from Philadelphia and would welcome a return. He also has ties to Miami, having a great relationship with former Sixers Jimmy Butler.
Both teams have the kind of young players that would entice Toronto, though the Sixers have an advantage with draft picks, as the Heat are limited in what they can offer, already owing several first-rounders to other teams. ESPN’s Zach Lowe writes that Philadelphia has an advantage when it comes to young talent (or at least in terms of what each team will reasonably offer) as well unless the Raptors really like 2020 first-round pick Precious Achiuwa.
Reports of the team not entertaining offers have largely come from Toronto’s media. Naturally, it seems like the franchise is leaking stuff to their own guys in order to have better footing in negotiations and while this is strictly my speculation, this would not be the first time we’ve seen this type of thing in the NBA.
