Will the Raptors trade Kyle Lowry?

Kyle Lowry has spent the majority of his career with the Toronto Raptors. A fan favourite, Lowry is the staple of the Raptors franchise and is recognized as one of the best Raptors of all time. Lowry has had a great career with the Raptors, but if the rumours are true, that same career could soon come to a halt.

Lowry will be turning 35 years old the day of the trade deadline, and with the Raptors wanting to become younger many people believe in the possibility of the Raptors trading Lowry. This is not the first time that rumours surrounding a Lowry trade have surfaced. Before the 2019 trade deadline, the Raptors discussed Lowry with Memphis, according to NBA sources.

“There’s a time capsule for everybody and everything,” said one Western Conference executive, “and it’s probably just time to move on.”

With all this being said, if the Raptors were to trade Lowry where would he go? The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the few teams that have been mentioned as a possible landing spot. Many believe that Lowry’s connection to North Philly could make for an easy transition, and the 76ers would not need to trade any of their star players to acquire Lowry. The 76ers are not hard-capped, it would make this possible trade less challenging.

The Raptors could benefit from trading Lowry, but I do not anticipate this trade actually coming to fruition. As these rumours continue to circulate, I become more and more skeptical. Lowry’s contract situation is preventing the possibility of a trade. As I mentioned the 76ers are not hard-capped, but they are one of the few teams in that situation. 17 out of the 29 possible trade destinations are dealing with hard caps due to their offseason acquisitions. These circumstances limit the possibility of a trade. Just because the likelihood of a Lowry trade is minimal does not prevent the Raptors from having trade conversations with other teams.

The Cavaliers have been discussing a possible Drummond trade with the Raptors. Many prominent NBA insiders are confirming these claims. The possibility of the Raptors trading a player like Norman Powell for Drummond and then trading Lowry is very unlikely.

Kyle Lowry is the core of the Raptors franchise. His large contract would make him hard to trade, and the conversations between the Raptors and the Cavaliers limited that same possibility. With all things considered, I do not believe the Raptors will trade Lowry, but that does not mean he will return to Toronto next season.