NBA rumors: Final year of contract may prevent Kyle Lowry trade

Kyle Lowry’s contract may prevent him from getting moved at the NBA trade deadline.

The NBA trade deadline takes place on March 25 and there is expected to be tons of movement. One of the larger names that keeps coming up in trade rumors is Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who was reportedly linked to the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and LA Clippers. But there is one thing that could prevent a transaction from taking place.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, there’s “a strong sense around the league” that Lowry’s hefty contract could result in him staying with the Raptors through the end of the season instead of being traded to a contending team.

Kyle Lowry’s contract could prevent him from being moved at the NBA trade deadline

After winning the NBA championship in 2019, the Raptors rewarded Lowry with a massive one-year, $30.5 million contract extension that runs through the 2020-21 season. Considering interested teams will have to try and match the salary in trade packages, that is why Lowry’s contract is more of a roadblock than anything.

While the Raptors wanted to trade Lowry to give him another shot at making a run to the NBA Finals, maybe they can make one last push this year. As of this writing, the Raptors are currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with an 17-19 record. However, they have the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards all two games behind them in the standings.

Through 29 games this season, Lowry is averaging 18.0 points, 7.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from the 3-point line.

With a little over two weeks remaining until the deadline, there is always the chance that things change and the Raptors can find a trade partner. But as of now, Lowry’s contract is preventing a trade from happening.