The Miami Heat have not received the level of impact they had hoped for when they tampered to facilitate a sign-and-trade to acquire Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors last NBA offseason.
Lowry’s impact has declined as he’s averaging 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting 39.8 percent from the floor and 33.6 percent from 3-point range. The 36-year-old earns $28.3 million this season and is signed for just under $29.7 million next season. Could Miami look to trade the veteran point guard to move off his salary?
One option that was linked as commanding trade interest from the Heat is D’Angelo Russell of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has proven to be an awkward fit with the current configuration of the team’s roster, and given that he is in the final year of his contract, he appears to be on more likely to be on the move than to remain.
According to Marc Stein, the Heat indeed have interest in a trade for D’Angelo Russell, but the Timberwolves are “not interested” in a swap that involves taking on the contract of Kyle Lowry.
I’ve heard the same thing reported Friday by Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports: Miami has some interest in Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell, who’s making $31.4 million this season on an expiring contract. Trading for Russell, though, would almost certainly require the Wolves take back Kyle Lowry, who has one more season after this one on his three-year, $85 million deal with the Heat signed in the summer of 2021. Minnesota, by all indications, is not interested in that sort of swap.
It isn’t easy to envision what the Timberwolves ultimately have planned for the point guard position. The options are limited once the summer arrives as far as making a substantial move. They depleted their draft capital to acquire Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz and lack assets to work with.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: D’Angelo Russell, Kyle Lowry, Minnesota Timberwolves & Miami Heat Updates
The Heat could be in a position where it makes sense to incentivize a possible suitor to take on Lowry’s contract. Paying that much money to a declining 37-year-old would be a concerning outcome for next season as Miami aspires to contend for another NBA title. However, it just remains to be seen if Russell is the right option to pursue.
The potential for a trade involving Russell or Lowry will be something to monitor ahead of the midseason trade deadline. It’s become clear that the Heat and Timberwolves are in need of making changes at the position sooner rather than later.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: D’Angelo Russell, Kyle Lowry, Minnesota Timberwolves & Miami Heat Updates
If the situation carries into the summer for the Heat, there should be rebuilding teams with a surplus of salary cap space willing to take on Lowry’s contract. The value of a veteran point guard in providing direction shouldn’t be understated. A team like the Houston Rockets stands out as being a particularly logical option.
