Kyle Lowry has a decision to make about whether or not he picks up his player option with the Toronto Raptors. Here are five reasons he should leave.
Kyle Lowry is entering the final year of his contract with the Toronto Raptors, but has one week to decide whether or not he picks up the player option on the deal, or book it out of “The Six”.
The point guard and his team got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and left their home arena with their tail tucked between their legs. Lowry averaged 20 points a night in the series’ first two games in Cleveland, and recorded a double-double in Game 1.
However, Lowry missed Games 3 and 4 due to an ankle injury, and could’ve possibly played his last minutes as a Raptor without even knowing it.
While there’s obviously the desire to stick around with the team that’s groomed you, and continue to team up with his friend and fellow Raptors stud DeMar DeRozan, there’s greener pastures elsewhere. Here’s five reasons Lowry should leave Toronto:
5. Potential hometown reunion
The Philadelphia 76ers are a team that have become one of the top candidates, should Lowry leave Toronto for a new home this offseason.
Between the Sixers and Los Angeles Lakers, both teams provide enticing options for the point guard, as both teams are searching for that dominant floor general who can take over a game and lead young squads.
However, Philadelphia provides a more intriguing pitch for Lowry, as it represents his hometown team and his former college home at Villanova. Like the Kevin Durant free agency fiasco from the last offseason, the 76ers provide a relationship where both parties would benefit largely in different ways. The Sixers would gain that guard they need to go alongside young stars like Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and company. On the other end, Lowry plays for his hometown team, gets some big bucks, and potentially leads a team to the promised land.
Another key factor in this potential landing spot, and a big reason for Lowry to leave, is the presence of 76ers president and general manager Bryan Colangelo. Colangelo previously had the same titles for the Toronto Raptors, and actually acquired Lowry from the Houston Rockets as one of his big moves with the team. The pre-existing relationship is key, and Colangelo could play a pivotal role in getting Lowry to sign with the Sixers.
The team went 28-54 this past season, which isn’t the strongest selling point for a guard looking for some immediate success, but Lowry may be the piece the Sixers need to complete their “Trust the process” puzzle.
4. The Eastern Conference is loaded, and it’s time for Lowry to compete.
This year’s NBA Playoffs have proven one major thing that is surely on Lowry’s mind: this is LeBron James’ world and the Eastern Conference is just living in it.
King James is dominating everyone who comes in contact with the Cleveland Cavaliers in this postseason, plain and simple. The Cavs shut down the Indiana Pacers in the first round, swept Lowry’s Raptors in the conference semifinals, and are looking absolutely unstoppable as they advance to another conference finals. LeBron will appear in his seventh straight Eastern Conference Finals in a week, and he’s proving how impossible it is to succeed in his conference.
On another side, the Boston Celtics have emerged as a strong team in the East, and they’re building up a dynasty with their talented roster and high picks in the upcoming draft. Between Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Avery Bradley, and a young stud in Jaylen Brown, this lineup isn’t going anywhere soon unless injuries plague the team.
The Raptors find themselves stuck as the third best team in the conference, and proved it with their third seed in this year’s bracket. The Celtics will keep improving, the Cavaliers simply can’t be bested by any of these teams while LeBron is still LeBron, and everyone else is stuck.
If Lowry wants to achieve his goals of really doing damage in the postseason, he’ll either have to build a super-team like the Avengers in Philly and figure out how to beat the Cavs, or he has to leave the conference. If the money was right, the Spurs would provide an interesting option, depending on Tony Parker’s status, and he could do damage on that roster.
3. The Raptors have built their best roster, and they can’t get much higher
Kanye West lyrics aside, the Raptors have truly peaked with their current roster. They already have Lowry, DeRozan, and even brought in Serge Ibaka from the Orlando Magic midway through the season to be a real threat. Even with all of that talent, specifically built to matchup with the Cavaliers and Celtics, they couldn’t get over the hump.
Unless the Raptors can somehow break the salary cap and just keep bringing people in, their current roster can’t really be improved, and they can’t hold onto this talent forever. Free agency is already playing a factor, and Lowry and DeRozan are pieces that are up in the air right now.
Lowry obviously has goals to succeed in this league, and win some titles. The furthest this roster, without Ibaka, ever got was a conference finals matchup with the Cavaliers last season, and the result went as expected. Depending on how much Drake trolling and coaching Lowry can deal with, the schtick of getting eliminated before an NBA Finals appearance gets old sometime.
For someone with the option to leave now and pursue success elsewhere, it’s definitely appealing to be on a more well-rounded roster in Philadelphia, or exploring possible options in the Western Conference. For now, the Raptors need to do some serious work, and have some housekeeping to do if they want to keep this same roster around, let alone add more to it.
2. The Raptors can’t pay everyone
Toronto has other pressing free agents to worry about, and it may not be so keen on the idea of blowing all their resources on Lowry, when they can rebuild with some other current pieces. Serge Ibaka, Patrick Patterson, and P.J. Tucker find themselves with expiring contracts as well, and the team has expressed interest in keeping the band together.
Lowry still has the opportunity to take this one year player option on his four-year deal, finish out his contract, and play will all these pieces for one more season. However, they already paid DeRozan the big bucks, and showed their commitment to him with one of the biggest deals in NBA history. The team has said they’ll re-sign Lowry even if he opts out but that means giving up some of the other pieces, which probably means the team takes a step back.
There are a lot of other pieces in this equation for the Raptors, and it’ll be interesting to see where they go with the situation, and where they want to invest their money. If money and success are big factors for Lowry, over sticking around in Toronto and trying to finish this ordeal with the Raptors, then he may need to look elsewhere.
1. It’s time for Lowry to make some bank, and live it up outside of Toronto.
Lowry may be able to squeeze some money out of the Raptors for a big contract and the ability to continue to play alongside DeRozan, but why not purse other options?
Whether’s it with a team like the Sixers, the Lakers, or any other suitor with some cash in their wallet, Lowry has other places to go. Like it was previously mentioned, he can go and get paid with the Sixers, work around with some rookies, and potentially compete against the Cavaliers, Celtics, and even his former Raptors.
The money eventually gets limited with the Raptors, and who knows if he’ll be in control of his own destiny if he decides to stick it out one more year. The team may try and trade the point guard and get some chips back, all while sending Lowry somewhere he doesn’t want to go, along with no guaranteed contract. He’s coming off of a successful season, and should cash out while he still can.
The only problem with this part of the reasoning is his injury history. Lowry may feel the need to prove his worth in one more year with the Raptors, given the multitude of injuries he experienced this year. While the regular season ones aren’t as big of a deal, missing the last two games of the team’s postseason is.
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Teams may not be compelled to drop some serious cash on someone like that, so he may not get as much money as he’d hope in the end if he leaves now. If they’re willing to pay him the big money now, then the option is definitely an important one to pursue and follow through with.