Kyle Lowry is one of the top free agents on the market this summer and the Toronto Raptors are the favorites to sign him, while the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and NY Knicks are all interested in adding him in free agency, as he had a great season in 2013-14 and is looking to cash in and he could be the first big player past Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James to sign.
Last season the Knicks tried to trade for Lowry, but the two sides could not come to an agreement and now he is one of the top free agent targets on the market. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Raptors are starting off with a $12 million to $14 million deal for Lowry per season and that will be a jumping off point for the team as they try to retain him. Marc Stein from ESPN.com writes that the Raptors are the team that is favored to keep Lowry, but that Miami will also be going after him hard. The team is likely offering him a five year deal and other teams will try and offer him a multiyear deal as well.
PBT also reports that the Houston Rockets are in on Lowry and that means Jeremy Lin is likely traded when the team needs to pull the trigger. The report says that GM Daryl Morey is fond of Lowry and that he sees him as an option like Rajon Rondo, another player he loves but can't get and he went to Philly to meet with Lowry once free agency started up. The Raptors appear ready to pay for Lowry, but he may want to go to a different team even after he helped the franchise to its best season ever and a playoff appearance and division title.
Lowry was a borderline All-Star player last season and he has a bright future and a team like the Miami Heat would be wise to sign him, as he could elevate them to championship status again. Last year in the playoffs the team clearly was lacking at point guard and Lowry would be a huge upgrade after the way Mario Chalmers played in rather postseason. Adding Lowry could help take some pressure of James and Dwyane Wade as well and that could be huge if the team wants to make another finals run.
Miami is looking at Lowry along with Luol Deng and Chandler Parsons and they couple free agent options for the team along with the Big 3. LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade all opted out and that gave the Miami Heat over $50 million in cap space, but now they need to sign those players along with other free agents and that could be tough to sneak all under one cap this summer. James and the other two stars have told Riley of their plans and he is looking to sign players to ensure that they return. Miami is looking at Lowry hard and he could be the piece the team needs to get back to finals form.
