NBA Rumors: Heat Could Trade Goran Dragic, Justise Winslow, And 1st-Round Pick For Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry started to become the subject of various trade rumors after Kawhi Leonard left the reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors to join the Los Angeles Clippers during this year’s free agency period. The current talent left on their roster may still be enough to help the Raptors extend their playoff streak but without Leonard, it remains a big question if they are capable of defending their throne in the 2019-20 NBA season. Though the Raptors recently gave him a one-year, $31 million contract extension, most people still see Lowry as one of the NBA players who will be moved before the February trade deadline.
In his recent appearance on The Woj Pod, Zach Lowe of ESPN mentioned the Miami Heat as a potential landing spot for Lowry. Instead of going after Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul, Lowe believes that the Heat are better off monitoring the situation in Toronto. Aside from having a shorter contract than Paul, Lowry is younger, has dealt with fewer health issues, and has lower mileage. His ability to excel in an off-ball capacity makes him a better fit alongside Heat superstar Jimmy Butler.
In the proposed trade that would send Kyle Lowry to Miami, Fadeaway World suggested that the Heat could offer a trade package including Goran Dragic, Justise Winslow, and a future first-round pick to the Raptors. For the deal to work under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, the Heat would have to add more players to match the Raptors’ outgoing salary.
“The Miami Heat seem to be fed up with mediocrity and want to build a top team in the Eastern Conference. After adding Jimmy Butler and trading away Hassan Whiteside, they seem to be building a culture around hard work and dedication. Lowry certainly fits that mold. Not to mention, the Heat will add another All-Star to pair up with Jimmy Butler and possibly make a case for a top 4 seed in the East. With only a few teams competing for an Eastern Conference crown, now is the best time to go all in.”
The deal would not only be beneficial for the Heat, but also for the Raptors, especially if they finally decide to take a different route and rebuild the team around Pascal Siakam. In exchange for Kyle Lowry, the Heat would be acquiring a young and promising talent in Justise Winslow and a future first-round pick that would help them speed up the rebuilding process. Meanwhile, the Raptors could use Goran Dragic’s expiring contract as a trade chip to acquire more future draft assets before the coming season’s trade deadline.
