The Miami Heat looked like legitimate title contenders with the moves that they made during the 2021 NBA offseason. Their biggest acquisition was point guard Kyle Lowry, who was brought on to help push Miami over the hump.
Lowry and the Heat agreed to a three-year deal worth just about $85 million. It was a deal that was met with skepticism by some, as Lowry is 35-years old and struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. But there were major concerns about how that contract would age.
Unfortunately for the Heat, it didn’t even take the first season for the deal to go sour. Lowry played in 63 games during the regular season and was pretty solid, averaging 13.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 33.9 minutes per game. If the playoffs are any indication of how things are going to go, that is the best we will see of him in a Heat uniform.
Lowry has been abysmal in the postseason as he is dealing with a hamstring injury. He has played in only eight of 16 games and isn’t helping the team much when he is on the court. His averages of 5.6 points, 4.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 27.4 minutes per game.
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That production isn’t good for any player, as Lowry has a PER of 4.18 in the postseason. But, when you are earning the kind of money that he is, that is an even tougher pill to swallow. One NBA executive had some harsh words about the situation in Miami.
“The Mavericks and Pelicans should be thanking the Heat for saving them from that contract. He’s going to be making almost $30 million at 37. That’s rough.”
The Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, who both pursued Lowry in free agency before he chose Miami, are ecstatic now after being disappointed last offseason. Lowry’s contract has quickly turned into one of the worst in the league in less than a year.
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The writing was certainly on the wall when it came to Kyle Lowry beginning to slow down, the Miami Heat were just hoping it wouldn’t come so quickly and they would win a championship before it occurred. That plan looks like it is out the window as Lowry isn’t helping the Heat win whenever he is on the court.
As for the Dallas Mavericks, they were able to give Jalen Brunson the room to grow into having a breakout season. The New Orleans Pelicans have since acquired CJ McCollum and he helped to provide new layers that their half-court offense lacked.
