Raptors at fork in road with Lowry, Powell but will only sell on their terms - Sportsnet.ca
The key message here: the Raptors know they’re on a losing streak, they just aren’t making any decisions based off it.
All that said, Toronto hasn’t closed any doors.
As the losses have mounted, the usual suspects have circled back on Lowry with the likely destinations remaining the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat, who each view him as someone who could help them get over the top in a highly competitive Eastern Conference.
The Raptors haven’t been shopping him, but they’ve been listening. They had a management meeting Monday night to share intel internally. Opinions are forming. Similarly, Lowry hasn’t been pushing for a trade, but understands that getting moved could offer him not only a chance to win another title – cementing his legacy and likely solidifying his case as a Hall of Famer – but since his Bird rights would travel with him, allow his new team to sign him even while over the salary cap. That detail would give him the best chance to sign a contract somewhere in the ballpark of the $30 million annually he’s earning now. If he stays in Toronto and decides to leave in free agency, he would be relying on teams that have cap space to set the market, a much less certain proposition.
In that scenario, the Raptors could end up as the best option, just as they were in 2017 when Lowry explored free agency only to see the market shrink quickly. He was fortunate that the Raptors were waiting with a three-year deal for $100 million that far outstripped anything that was otherwise available to him, although easily proved good value on that deal.
But finding a fit is tougher than most might think. The Sixers have the requisite expiring contracts to flesh out a deal, and more draft capital than the Heat, but are light on difference-making prospects that complement the Raptors' existing core. Tyrese Maxey is intriguing, but the Raptors have VanVleet and Flynn at the same position. Does adding a 20-year-old point guard and a future late first-round draft pick make the Raptors better? Is it fair return for Lowry, who may still be Toronto’s best player, saying nothing of his iconic status? Does the Sixers' Matisse Thybulle (4.3 points per game career average over two seasons) really move any needles?
I can see why Philly would be in a rush to make that trade, I’m not sure why Toronto would.
The Heat have different challenges. As things stand, Miami won’t have a first-round pick they can trade until 2028 as all they've all been dealt or are tied up with pick protections. Teams aren’t allowed to trade picks in consecutive years and not further out than seven seasons. In theory, Miami could acquire a pick from another team, but that would mean dipping into their pool of prospects that a team like the Raptors might be interested in.
The fit with Miami includes Lowry’s willingness to sign there and the possibility of acquiring some collection of the Heat’s younger core. Certainly, adding 21-year-old Tyler Herro, who played well as a rookie in the playoffs last season, would pique the Raptors' interest, as would pending restricted free agent Duncan Robinson. The soon-to-be 27-year-old is one of the best shooters in the league and would fit well alongside the Raptors' core. And given Toronto’s lack of bigs, rookie centre Precious Achiuwa would be a nice piece, too.
But all those players are on rookie deals that hardly make a dent in the roughly $25 million Miami would have to send out to match Lowry’s incoming salary, and they are each part of the Heat’s existing rotation. To make the money work, the Heat would likely need to include pending free agent Kelly Olynyk ($12.6 million), who is starting for them, and one of either Goran Dragic ($18 million), who is their leading bench scorer and a fixture in closing lineups, or Andre Iguodala ($15 million), who is still a prominent part of their rotation and remains an elite defender with a bottomless well of smarts and experience.
When the Heat traded Meyers Leonard and his $10-million expiring contract to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Trevor Ariza, a Lowry deal got a little harder.
Might Lowry be traded before Thursday at 3 p.m.? He might be, if the deal is right, but even as their season spirals, there is good reason why the Raptors don’t view themselves as motivated sellers. They will deal only on their terms.
Still, of the two, Powell may be more likely to be traded, and league sources suggest the Raptors have been more aggressive in soliciting offers for Powell, who will almost certainly opt out of the last year of his deal, looking for a big raise from the $11.6 million he would otherwise make.
He’s proven himself one of the NBA’s best shooters and has a slashing element that most of the league’s elite marksmen don’t have.
But what is his trade value?
His contract status complicates things – teams that view him as a starter might want to surrender less because they might have to pay Powell something in the range of $72 million – the expectation being that the Brooklyn Nets' Joe Harris might provide a benchmark for the Raptors wing. Teams that view him as a rotation piece for a playoff push might want to surrender less because Powell might be less likely to sign going forward in that role.
“He’s been really good and shoots it a high clip. I just don’t know if he’s a starter in the NBA,” said one Eastern Conference executive. “And when you’re putting up those kinds of numbers and he gets to free agency, you have to pay him, so maybe that’s why they’re looking at capitalizing on him right now because his value is what it is.”
Would Powell be enough to pry a starter-level big and maybe a future second-round pick?
Could he provide the means to get the Raptors in on deals for John Collins in Atlanta – a pending restricted free agent – or Richaun Holmes, a pending free agent big in Sacramento with chops as a rebounder and rim protector, two of Toronto's most glaring weaknesses?
The Raptors are going to work the Powell angle hard, is my guess, and I think it’s more likely he gets moved than he doesn’t.
I’m less sure about Lowry for the reasons I’ve been saying all along: He’s not pushing to go and the obstacles to a proper return for a player of his stature remain significant.
The key message here: the Raptors know they’re on a losing streak, they just aren’t making any decisions based off it.
All that said, Toronto hasn’t closed any doors.
As the losses have mounted, the usual suspects have circled back on Lowry with the likely destinations remaining the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat, who each view him as someone who could help them get over the top in a highly competitive Eastern Conference.
The Raptors haven’t been shopping him, but they’ve been listening. They had a management meeting Monday night to share intel internally. Opinions are forming. Similarly, Lowry hasn’t been pushing for a trade, but understands that getting moved could offer him not only a chance to win another title – cementing his legacy and likely solidifying his case as a Hall of Famer – but since his Bird rights would travel with him, allow his new team to sign him even while over the salary cap. That detail would give him the best chance to sign a contract somewhere in the ballpark of the $30 million annually he’s earning now. If he stays in Toronto and decides to leave in free agency, he would be relying on teams that have cap space to set the market, a much less certain proposition.
In that scenario, the Raptors could end up as the best option, just as they were in 2017 when Lowry explored free agency only to see the market shrink quickly. He was fortunate that the Raptors were waiting with a three-year deal for $100 million that far outstripped anything that was otherwise available to him, although easily proved good value on that deal.
But finding a fit is tougher than most might think. The Sixers have the requisite expiring contracts to flesh out a deal, and more draft capital than the Heat, but are light on difference-making prospects that complement the Raptors' existing core. Tyrese Maxey is intriguing, but the Raptors have VanVleet and Flynn at the same position. Does adding a 20-year-old point guard and a future late first-round draft pick make the Raptors better? Is it fair return for Lowry, who may still be Toronto’s best player, saying nothing of his iconic status? Does the Sixers' Matisse Thybulle (4.3 points per game career average over two seasons) really move any needles?
I can see why Philly would be in a rush to make that trade, I’m not sure why Toronto would.
The Heat have different challenges. As things stand, Miami won’t have a first-round pick they can trade until 2028 as all they've all been dealt or are tied up with pick protections. Teams aren’t allowed to trade picks in consecutive years and not further out than seven seasons. In theory, Miami could acquire a pick from another team, but that would mean dipping into their pool of prospects that a team like the Raptors might be interested in.
The fit with Miami includes Lowry’s willingness to sign there and the possibility of acquiring some collection of the Heat’s younger core. Certainly, adding 21-year-old Tyler Herro, who played well as a rookie in the playoffs last season, would pique the Raptors' interest, as would pending restricted free agent Duncan Robinson. The soon-to-be 27-year-old is one of the best shooters in the league and would fit well alongside the Raptors' core. And given Toronto’s lack of bigs, rookie centre Precious Achiuwa would be a nice piece, too.
But all those players are on rookie deals that hardly make a dent in the roughly $25 million Miami would have to send out to match Lowry’s incoming salary, and they are each part of the Heat’s existing rotation. To make the money work, the Heat would likely need to include pending free agent Kelly Olynyk ($12.6 million), who is starting for them, and one of either Goran Dragic ($18 million), who is their leading bench scorer and a fixture in closing lineups, or Andre Iguodala ($15 million), who is still a prominent part of their rotation and remains an elite defender with a bottomless well of smarts and experience.
When the Heat traded Meyers Leonard and his $10-million expiring contract to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Trevor Ariza, a Lowry deal got a little harder.
Might Lowry be traded before Thursday at 3 p.m.? He might be, if the deal is right, but even as their season spirals, there is good reason why the Raptors don’t view themselves as motivated sellers. They will deal only on their terms.
Still, of the two, Powell may be more likely to be traded, and league sources suggest the Raptors have been more aggressive in soliciting offers for Powell, who will almost certainly opt out of the last year of his deal, looking for a big raise from the $11.6 million he would otherwise make.
He’s proven himself one of the NBA’s best shooters and has a slashing element that most of the league’s elite marksmen don’t have.
But what is his trade value?
His contract status complicates things – teams that view him as a starter might want to surrender less because they might have to pay Powell something in the range of $72 million – the expectation being that the Brooklyn Nets' Joe Harris might provide a benchmark for the Raptors wing. Teams that view him as a rotation piece for a playoff push might want to surrender less because Powell might be less likely to sign going forward in that role.
“He’s been really good and shoots it a high clip. I just don’t know if he’s a starter in the NBA,” said one Eastern Conference executive. “And when you’re putting up those kinds of numbers and he gets to free agency, you have to pay him, so maybe that’s why they’re looking at capitalizing on him right now because his value is what it is.”
Would Powell be enough to pry a starter-level big and maybe a future second-round pick?
Could he provide the means to get the Raptors in on deals for John Collins in Atlanta – a pending restricted free agent – or Richaun Holmes, a pending free agent big in Sacramento with chops as a rebounder and rim protector, two of Toronto's most glaring weaknesses?
The Raptors are going to work the Powell angle hard, is my guess, and I think it’s more likely he gets moved than he doesn’t.
I’m less sure about Lowry for the reasons I’ve been saying all along: He’s not pushing to go and the obstacles to a proper return for a player of his stature remain significant.
