It seems that winning the Atlantic Division isn’t enough for the Raptors to keep their current core intact.
Previous rumors suggested that general manager Masai Ujiri was looking to move Kyle Lowry in effort to, you know, tank. The Raptors had just traded Rudy Gay and didn’t figure into any meaningful conversations. Best thing to do in that situation is tank for the draft.
More than halfway through the season, the Raptors still aren’t necessarily in any meaningful conversations. They have a 1.5 game hold on the Atlantic Division, sure, but with the Nets surging and the reality being they’re not going to win any championships, ESPN’s Marc Stein says they’ll look to move Lowry once more:
Trade rumble: Sense around league remains Toronto more likely to trade Kyle Lowry than keep him to prevent losing asset for nothing. But …
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 27, 2014
Nothing came of prior talks because Ujiri wanted what Ujiri always wants: a king’s ransom, or first-round draft pick. And that’s apparently the same problem this time around.
Issue here hasn't changed: No team out there willing YET to meet Raps' asking price for PG who, nice as he's playin, can bolt in free agency
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 27, 2014
Give Ujiri this: The dude has some brass ones, and he’s smart as hell.
Lowry is set explore unrestricted free agency this summer. Not even the Knicks were foolish enough to drop a first-rounder on his services, knowing that he could leave for a more lucrative contract offer after this season.
This is the road block Toronto will keep running into. Lowry is playing like a borderline All-Star—if only because the Eastern Conference’s point guard corps has been desecrated by injury—and capitalizing off a departure that’s clearly inevitable makes the most sense.
At the same time, the Raptors don’t exactly have to sell low. If they’re not going to receive a first-round pick, there’s little incentive for them to make a move. His salary comes off the books, and they could be perfectly content with the salary cap relief.
That said, any mid-season surges by the Knicks and Nets could change things. If both of them begin to take control of the division and the Raptors begin to fall outside playoff contention, it’s arguably best for them to move Lowry for the sheer sake of getting worse in hopes of landing Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker or another top college prospect this summer.
The market is bound to increase should they lower their price. They don’t have to move him within the division or anything either if they’re simply holding a tank fest. They have the option of moving him to a Western Conference team instead.
Though, if they decide to flat-out tank, shipping him to Brooklyn or New York wouldn’t be the worst thing. Again, anything that hurts their standing in this scenario would be a good thing. Improving the makeup of their immediate competitors would certainly fit that bill.
Almost a month remains before the Feb. 20 trade deadline comes to pass, so don’t expect the Lowry situation to be resolved anytime soon. Like every other rumor this time of year, all one can do is watch, wait, see and inevitably hope Ujiri doesn’t pull his “I JUST MADE YOU OVERPAY FOR SOMEONE YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE OVERPAID FOR” act on your favorite team.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
