Kyle Lowry denies he’s not satisfied with Raptors
Amid speculation he’s not satisfied with the Toronto Raptors, Kyle Lowry is denying those reports ahead of hitting free agency.
With the prospect of a nice multi-year deal, it was a no-brainer for Kyle Lowry to opt-out of the final year of his contract with the Toronto Raptors. He should have some suitors in free agency, off of averaging a career-high 22.4 points per game, but the Raptors can offer him a longer and bigger contract than any other team. But that doesn’t mean Lowry is slam dunk to go back to Toronto.
According to Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star, via multiple league sources, Lowry has been “grumbling about dissatisfaction with the Raptors for months.” There is also this added tidbit for Arthur’s column.
"As of mid-May other teams were being told Lowry had “zero interest” in returning to Toronto, even if the Raptors offered a maximum five-year deal. Which since the club had no intention of offering a five-year deal probably made Lowry’s declaration easier to make."
On the heels of Arthur’s piece, even with the writer offering a bit of a retraction of most of it, Lowry responded on Twitter.
I dont do this ever but :
— Kyle Lowry (@Klow7) June 20, 2017
Don't believe what you hear !! Especially if it didn't come from me, and that bs FOR SURE didn't come from me..GN
There are concerns attached to Lowry, since he missed 22 regular season games and some time in the playoffs due to injuries this past season. He’ll also turn 32 next March, so a multi-year deal will take him through whatever is left of his prime and into the decline phase of his career.
Lowry’s hometown Philadelphia 76ers are in line to draft Markelle Fultz No. 1 on Thursday night, so they are likely out of the point guard market. Arthur also added the San Antonio Spurs are not interested in him, so two possible suitors can probably be eliminated.
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Whether he’s actually happy with the team or not, a return to Toronto is still the most likely outcome for Lowry. The only question is the length and money in a free agent deal, and if the Raptors are willing to embrace some risk by going to the max five years.