Raptors won't trade Lowry at deadline, but must author graceful end to era - Sportsnet.ca
This is about Kyle Lowry, and this is about the end.
It’s about the last big step in what should be a Hall-of-Fame career for the iconic Toronto Raptors point guard and the first chance the Raptors have had to navigate a graceful exit for a player whose legacy should serve as a cultural shorthand for the organization within the NBA for years to come and as a touchstone for the franchise and for the city for decades beyond that.
There’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s start here: Lowry is not going to be dealt before the March 25 trade deadline. It’s not that the Raptors and Lowry haven’t mulled over the pros and cons of making a mutually agreeable deal for the 15-year veteran heading into free agency, or that there isn’t interest in the six-time all-star who comes with a shipping container’s full of intangibles along with averages of 18 points, 5.5 rebounds and seven assists per game along with 40.3 per cent shooting from deep -- all marks that are in the neighbourhood of his career peaks.
But, but, he... sold his house!
It means nothing. Lowry closed the deal on his $5-million home in North Toronto a few weeks ago, yes, but remember: It’s been home to only a quiet hum since last March with no prospect of Lowry and his family living there until next September. If Lowry needs somewhere to stay in Toronto by then he can buy it, rent it or move into a spare wing at Drake’s house until things get sorted out. A house empty that long was a loose end in need of tidying up. End of story.
“That place was vacant and just sitting there, so there’s nothing to read into that at all,” Lowry’s agent Mark Bartelstein said. “That’s a residue of the pandemic.”
But beyond that context, surveying the market and assessing where the Raptors are, it’s more and more clear the chances of a deal happening are remote and the notion that Lowry is pushing for one is far-fetched.
Lowry made his position quite clear the other day via his Instagram story, but
multiple league sources I’ve spoken with over the past two weeks who have reason to know Lowry’s thinking has echoed the theme.
The persistence of the speculation is a nuisance, even if the reporting of it is understandable.