Kyle Lowry for D’Angelo Russell swap makes a lot of sense for both teams

A hypothetical Kyle Lowry for D’Angelo Russell trade could solve a lot of problems for both the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves.

On his podcast, Brian Windhorst made a suggestion that the Heat should look to move Kyle Lowry to the Timberwolves. A swap of Lowry for D’Angelo Russell might make a lot of sense for both teams.

For Miami, Kyle Lowry quite simply hasn’t produced a lot offensively. He has struggled to score, shooting just 40.5 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc. While he still does provide defense and veteran leadership, he isn’t providing a lot of offense as he has in years past.

Miami on the other hand is not performing to expectations. They are currently still in the play-in spots after finishing in the Conference Finals last season and the Bucks, Nets and Celtics would all have to be considered better bets to get to the Finals. If the Heat want to be one of the best in the East, they need to improve via the trade market.

On the other hand, the Minnesota Timberwolves are struggling big time. After making the trade for Rudy Gobert and going all in by trading a bunch of first-round draft picks for him, the team is below 500 and is currently behind the rebuilding team Jazz (who they made the trade with) in the standings.

A major reason the Timberwolves are struggling is defense, a big problem considering they spent so much to get Rudy Gobert to anchor the interior defense. D’Angelo Russell who is a horrible perimeter defender, things are bad and getting worse but they have enough offense to compete, especially when Karl-Anthony Towns is healthy and moving Russell for a defensive upgrade could be huge.

Why a D’Angelo Russell for Kyle Lowry trade makes sense for everyone

Windhorst gave an excellent trade idea that would work. He suggested moving Lowry to the Timberwolves and in return, the Heat received a good offensive player. Clearly, that player is D’Angelo Russell. Not only would the Heat get off Lowry’s contract but they would get an expiring contract in exchange for him.

This would allow the Heat to get way under the tax for next season. The only negative for the Heat is that with the number tradeable of draft picks and limited cap space for next season, it would be hard for them to replace Russell if he didn’t re-sign. Still, if are able to get an extension with Russell if would be a good move as Jimmy Butler is locked down long-term (and getting older), and his offense will probably fade away before his defense does.

For the Timberwolves, this trade works well because it allows them to gain some perimeter defense without taking too much off the table at the other end. While Russell is a good player, he just isn’t a good fit with this team.

Additionally, Lowry’s huge contract won’t be a huge concern because the Timberwolves do not have a lot of cap space for next season, to begin with. Additionally, Anthony Edwards’s extension is coming up, while still having to pay Naz Reid this offseason so it’s not like Minnesota was gonna be big spenders in free agency anyways. This trade idea could be a win-win for both sides.

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