Miami Heat Must Move On From Kyle Lowry After NBA Playoffs

kyle Lowry, Miami Heat, NBA Trade Rumors
NBA Analysis Network

During the 2021 NBA offseason, the Miami Heat were seen as one of the biggest winners. Pat Riley wanted to get back into contention for an NBA Championship and made sure that he acquired players to help achieve that goal.

From the reigning NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat signed away P.J. Tucker. Veteran Markieff Morris was brought over from the Los Angeles Lakers. Duncan Robinson was re-signed and Jimmy Butler agreed to an extension to keep him in Miami through 2026.

But, the biggest acquisition that they made came in the form of Kyle Lowry. He was being pursued heavily by numerous teams, but it came down to three; the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans and Heat. Ultimately, Lowry chose South Beach.

He agreed to a three-year deal worth just over $85 million. A sign-and-trade was worked out, as Miami sent Precious Achiuwa, Goran Dragic, and a future second-round pick to the Toronto Raptors to land the Villanova product. The Raptors also received a trade exception in the deal.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Executive Doesn’t Hold Back About Heat Star Kyle Lowry

Signing a 35-year-old to a contract of that size is always a risk. Lowry had already been dealing with injury issues for a few seasons, as he missed at least 14 games in three consecutive seasons before joining the Miami Heat. But, Miami was hopeful that he would be able to get them one more championship before the wheels really fell off.

He was a perfect fit for Heat culture, bringing a bulldog mentality and toughness to the starting five. With championship experience, the thought process was he would help get a roster consisting of a lot of players from the 2020 Orlando Bubble team that lost in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers over the hump.

Unfortunately, that looks to have already happened. Kyle Lowry has battled a hamstring injury throughout the postseason and he looks like someone that isn’t going to come close to living up to the expectations of an $85 million contract.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Executive Doesn’t Hold Back About Heat Star Kyle Lowry

During the regular season, Lowry averaged 13.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 33.9 minutes per game. If that ended up being what Lowry averaged for his entire Miami Heat tenure, the team would be happy, but that looks like it will be the best production they will be getting from him.

Lowry has been abysmal in the postseason, dealing with injuries that have kept him yo-yo-ing in and out of the lineup. He has played in only eight out of the 16 playoff games thus far and when he has been on the court, he has done nothing to help the team win games.

The veteran point guard is averaging a measly 5.6 points per game, making only 26.7 percent of his shots overall and 20.5 percent from 3-point range. He is grabbing 3.1 rebounds per game to go with 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.4 minutes

That kind of production is not going to cut it. The only reason Kyle Lowry continues to receive minutes is likely his veteran status, as he is doing nothing productive on the court. His 4.21 PER is by far the worst of any Heat rotation player in the postseason.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Executive Doesn’t Hold Back About Heat Star Kyle Lowry

Moving on from Lowry this offseason will not be an easy task as his performance has been wholly underwhelming. The Mavericks and Pelicans are certainly happy about how things have turned out, as they avoided a major mistake with Lowry choosing the Miami Heat over them.

No contract is untradeable in the NBA, but the Heat is certainly going to struggle to get back anything of value for him. Whatever they have left of their limited draft capital would likely have to be attached in a deal with him, or one of the assets on the roster such as Tyler Herro.

There had been some discussions that the Heat would try and move Duncan Robinson this offseason, who has been replaced in the starting lineup by Max Strus. But, it could very well be Lowry that they try and move on from now.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Executive Doesn’t Hold Back About Heat Star Kyle Lowry

There is always a high chance of an aging player not living up to their contract. But, the Miami Heat had to have thought they would get a little more out of Kyle Lowry, as he could now have the worst contract in the entire NBA.

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