Breaking: The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers Are Interested In Kyle Lowry. Will Toronto Pull The Trigger?

Since the start of the NBA season, the Toronto Raptors have struggled to win games and are looking to either try to make the playoffs or blow up the team. While they have recently started to win more games, the Raptors dominance in the Eastern Conference could be starting to come to an end. Despite trade rumours about Andre Drummond being a Raptor, the Eastern Conference is loaded with talent and will take a superstar for them to return as a real contender. Toronto is in a difficult situation and needs to figure out if keeping older and expensive players like Kyle Lowry is actually worth it. 

According to Pro Sports Daily, the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers have reportedly expressed interest in trading for Kyle Lowry. With both the Heat and Clippers in dire need of an upgrade at that position, a trade for Kyle Lowry could happen sooner than later. Both teams have solid assets to trade away, while one has much more to offer. It will be hard for Toronto to give up their franchise player, but as Geoffery Chaucer once said, “all great things must come to an end”. 

With the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat being the potential front-runners for attaining Kyle Lowry, let us dive into what both organizations have to offer and ultimately choose which team Lowry would most likely land in!

The Los Angeles Raptors

The Los Angeles Clippers currently ranks number three in the Western Conference while only being 2.5 games behind the first seed. The Western Conference this season is highly competitive as almost every team has an argument for being a playoff contender. Unfortunately, there are only eight slots in the playoff bracket, and with the Clippers most likely being locked in making the playoffs, they are more focused on making a championship run. 

It makes total sense as to why the Clippers are interested in trading for Kyle Lowry specifically and not other younger or more affordable point guards. From his IQ to his willingness to sacrifice his body, Lowry would be the final piece to the Clippers potential dynasty. Last season, the Clippers biggest flaw was not having a vocal leader and a person to mesh everything together. Even though they look more like a cohesive unit this season, the lack of a vocal leader is still evident. A trade for Kyle Lowry would form another big three in the NBA and the vocal leader that this team needs!

For the Clippers to successively make a trade for Kyle Lowry, they would need to make the following trade.

Los Angeles receives- Kyle Lowry and a 2025 unprotected second-round pick.

Toronto receives- Patrick Beverly, Lou Williams, Luke Kennard and Patrick Patterson

While that offer may appear to be a lot for Lowry, Lou Williams is on a decline and is looking to become an unrestricted free agent by the end of this season. With the Clippers not showing any confidence in bringing back Lou Williams, he would most likely retire or sign elsewhere. Patrick Beverly would be the new back-up starting point guard for the next two seasons in Toronto but would be traded in the following season. The real gem of this trade for Toronto is attaining Luke Kennard, who would become the Raptors’ starting shooting guard. He would fit perfectly in the timeline as both Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are under 27 years old! The Clippers get a better chance at winning a championship this season while Toronto creates cap-space and gets younger! 

The Flame Is Reignited In Miami

Unlike the Los Angeles Clippers, who have had a terrific start to the season, the Miami Heat have struggled. Whether it is significant injuries to their roster or Jimmy Butler catching COVID-19 that forced him to be side-lined for many games, the Heat are not the same as last season. Although this team has proven to shock the world, they currently sit as the 12th seed with a record of 9-14. Overall, this team is struggling and needs to get back into what they were last season. 

Trading for Kyle Lowry would fix many of their issues and allow them to return to NBA contention. Like the Los Angeles Clippers, the Miami Heat would also form a new big three in the Eastern Conference with Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo. The chemistry on this team would be phenomenal and would instantly become contenders in the East despite their slow start to the season. Miami is one of those teams where a good regular-season record is amusing but not important. All they need is to appear in the playoffs, and the rest is history. 

The Miami Heat would have much more to offer to the Raptors. With their mix of young potential and old talent, a trade for Lowry in Miami is more likely than a trade in Los Angeles. Looking at what the Clippers would have to trade to get the Raptor star, they would be stripping parts of their rotation for potentially just one season of Kyle Lowry. The Miami Heat, however, would not have to strip their entire roster to complete this trade. A trade for Lowry would consist of the following players. 

Miami receives- Kyle Lowry

Toronto receives- Kendrick Nunn, Andre Iguodala, and Meyers Leonard

Miami would have to include Iguodala and Leonard due to salary cap reasons. An alternative offer could include Kelly Olynyk instead of Leonard; however, any of those three players would have to be included in this trade. Goran Dragic is another candidate to be a part of this deal; however, Jimmy Butler would not allow it! As for Toronto, they would lose Kyle Lowry but get a young point guard that fits the rebuilding mode in Kendrick Nunn. Nunn would potentially become the next best point guard in Raptors history as Fred VanVleet is currently the shooting guard. 

Concluding Thoughts

Both teams have a good amount of talent to trade to Toronto, but ultimately, the Miami Heat have a much more attractive offer. Attaining Kendrick Nunn alone, who can become a border-line All-Star in the NBA, is enough for Toronto to consider. His role in Miami is scarce, and if Kyle Lowry is traded to the Heat, he would no longer have a role hence why he needs to be the focal point of this trade. Even though Luke Kennard is special at what he does, Kendrick Nunn is undoubtedly the better young asset to invest in.