The Toronto Raptors finalized their first trade of the day, sending Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood. Now, all the attention in NBA trade rumors will turn to where Kyle Lowry will end up.
The Raptors are not lacking for suitors when it comes to Lowry. The Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers are all pursuing him. According to sources, the 76ers were on the ‘1 yard line’ when it came to negotiations with the Raptors. Miami was willing to offer Duncan Robinson but had not yet offered Tyler Herro.
These negotiations could go right down to the wire, and now there is another team emerging as a potential landing spot. The LA Clippers have reportedly joined the race to land Lowry.
The Clippers have been looking for someone to stabilize their point guard position virtually all season. There are some within the front office that would like to move on from Patrick Beverley and Kyle Lowry would represent a big upgrade and will be something to watch in NBA trade rumors.
Lowry brings a lot to the table that the Clippers are looking for. He can run their offense, taking pressure off of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. The team can even run their offense through them when those two need to rest.
His 3-point shooting would also help when things bog down in the half-court as they usually do in the postseason. Lowry would also give the Clippers yet another tenacious defender to try and slow down the prolific point guards in the Western Conference.
Another reason the Clippers make sense is that Lowry has already played alongside Kawhi Leonard. Adding players midseason is very difficult, but if there is any familiarity to build off of, it is positive. Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry helped the Raptors defeat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals in 2019.
Lowry is a coveted player and the Raptor should land a strong package in return for him. Wherever Lowry ends up will adjust the contention landscape of the NBA.
