Kyle Lowry is one of the major free agent targets this summer and the LA Lakers could look at a sign and trade involving Steve Nash over a Rajon Rondo trade this offseason for the Toronto Raptors point guard could be in the mix, while the Miami Heat are a top option for Lowry as well, as they have not had a true point guard for some time and those deals could be in the mix for Masai Ujiri if Lowry wants to leave his partner in crime with DeMar DeRozan as a free agent.
Lowry is coming onto the free agent market at the perfect time, as he had his best career season and was a borderline All-Star and that could mean a big contract this summer. The Raptors had their best season in franchise history and that was a surprise and now the first major move for Ujiri will be whether to try and keep Lowry or not. According to SI.com, if he wants a max contract the team may look at a sign and trade, which would enable him to get his money and the team to get something in return.
Tim Legler on ESPN speculated that a number of teams could be in the market for Lowry this summer, including the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, NY Knicks and LA Lakers. The Knicks were going after Lowry this season in a trade and they could not pull that off and now that Derek Fisher is in the fold the team could try and make a move. The Rockets could be in the mix if they miss out on trading for Rajon Rondo, as they have long been interested in targeting him in trades. Last year the Rockets and Celtics nearly pulled off a deal for Rondo, but the team would not put Chandler Parsons in the deal and that ended.
Lowry is 28 and he can sign a four year deal on the market without a sign and trade and he comes in after averaging a career high 17 points and seven assists and he also hot nearly 200 threes this season. The Lakers have just $35 million on the books in the future and they could go after Lowry if they feel he is worth it and they also have a top 10 pick to use this season. Steve Nash is getting older and they may feel it's time to move on from that.
Last season the Raptors came into the year as one of the teams that people thought would tank to get Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker. The team was not expected to be good and many felt Ujiri would try and tank to get Wiggins, who is from Canada, to be the next franchise star of the team. But that did not happen and even after it appeared it was starting with the Rudy Gay trade, the Raptors got better and they ended up being the most surprising division winner in the league and they also made it to the playoffs when many did not even think they would have a winning season.
