The Toronto Raptors will have a major decision to make as we approach the 2021 NBA Trade deadline. Do they hold onto their starting point guard, Kyle Lowry, and make one last run in the postseason? Or do they trade him away to start the retooling around Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam?
No matter what the Raptors decide to do, they won’t be tearing things down and going into a full rebuild. Trading Lowry, who is in the final year of his contract, would help them reshape their roster for the future.
When Toronto got off to a rough start this season, it seemed likely that Lowry would be heading out of town. The Raptors began the season 2-8 but have picked things up recently. They are now 16-15, which is good enough for 5th place in the Eastern Conference and are riding a four-game winning streak, which includes two victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and one over the Philadelphia 76ers.
With the team playing so well, it would seem unlikely that Lowry is on the move, but if the team receives a great offer it is something they will have to consider. This isn’t the first time the organization has wrestled with the idea of trading away Lowry.
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Back in 2013, Masai Ujiri came extremely close to sending the Philadelphia native to the New York Knicks. It was a deal ultimately squashed by New York, as owner James Dolan was not comfortable with the deal after Toronto get the best of New York in the Andrea Bargnani deal. Remember, Urjiri also negotiated the Carmelo Anthony deal with the Denver Nuggets.
If Ujiri finds a trade partner again this time around, Lowry could be on his way to another city. Here are three underrated trade destinations for Lowry at the deadline.