Kyle Lowry re-signs with Toronto Raptors on 3-year, $100 million deal
Lowry swept aside all doubts about his future, as he committed to Toronto in a heart-felt letter to the 6ix. With Ibaka also locked in for 3-years, now Masai Ujiri can shift his focus on complimenting the core.
2016–17 Stats:
22.4 PPG (46.4 field goal percentage, 41.2 three-point percentage), 4.8 rebs, 7.0 assists.
Despite some whispers from around the NBA that Kyle Lowry would sign elsewhere, he re-committed his future to Toronto on Sunday night. Masai Ujiri’s brilliance was on show again as Kyle Lowry signed a three-year $100 million deal, which means he will be amongst the highest paid point guards in the NBA.
The Raptors would have survived if Lowry had left, but his return is obviously welcomed as he solidifies them as Eastern Conference contenders next season. Lowry being tied down means this was the best possible Sunday for Toronto fans, as Lowry and Ibaka are among the most valuable players in the NBA.
This was a decision made purely from the heart by Kyle Lowry, as he praised the fans and the city in a heartfelt letter written on The Players Tribune.
I’m coming back to Toronto because my heart is telling me that it’s home — and because staying home, for me and my family, feels like the right thing to do. My heart is telling me that this is the best city in the world, with the best basketball fans in the world. It’s telling me that the Raptors can be a championship-level team, sooner than later. And I’ll be honest (and don’t hate) — it’s telling me that I’ve still never had poutine.
Many were telling the Raptors to blow things up after they were crushed by the Cavaliers, but the Lowry re-signing shows that the franchise are not simply going to lie down, as they aspire to so much more.
Analysis:
Regardless of what anyone says, Lowry makes the Raptors tick on the offensive end of the floor. He is a master of the pick and roll, and as an all-round playmaker and shooter. His defense isn’t as good as it has been in the past, but he is rarely a negative when he is on the court, and is among the most effective players in the NBA.
Lowry is a de-facto leader in this team, and as Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic rather eloquently put it, he has become the ‘heart beat’ of Toronto due to his fiery attitude, and his hard-working personality.
This is one of the best cores the Raptors have ever had, so it makes a lot of sense to not part with Kyle Lowry, who is the best player in the core. Furthermore, Masai Ujiri has seemingly give the Raptors a 3-year window to win with this core given both Ibaka and Lowry’s deals cover that period.
The great thing about Ujiri, is he has not put all of his eggs into the metaphorical Kyle Lowry basket, and he is already planning for the future with the likes of OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl on the rise. Essentially, Toronto are not totally handicapping themselves by bringing Kyle Lowry back, as they are always thinking ahead.
Some have pointed to the fact that Toronto once again struggled in the post-season as being a reason to let Lowry go, but those accusations are harsh and misguided. Toronto’s problems were schematic last year, and if Dwane Casey is truly committed to changing the offence, then there is no reason that Kyle Lowry can’t light it up in the post-season. Additionally Lowry played a total of two games with Ibaka prior to the postseason and got injured in both the Bucks and Cavaliers series, the latter causing him to miss the final games.
Kyle Lowry being brought back is not the final step for this Toronto team if they want to reach the heights Lowry believes they are capable of. They need to overhaul the majority of their offence, and get more creative with their rotations. They also need to stop playing him so much, as they have a group of ready-made backup point guards who can give Lowry the rest he deserves, while helping the Raptors win games. Lowry has looked burned out in the past couple of post-seasons, and something has to give.
Lowry’s decision is obviously a welcome one, but Toronto’s coaching staff need to undergo a period of self-reflection, and attempt to try and do all they can to maximize this current core of players. As of now, their basic offence has not delivered the Raptors to the promised land, and they need to do all they can to repay Kyle Lowry’s loyalty.
The Raptors will now also need to move some contracts, because as Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic points out:
If Lowry and Ibaka’s deals are both fully back-loaded, the Raptors have an estimated $132.2 million in salary committed to 14 players. That’s not only well into the luxury tax, but it’s past the tax apron.
Currently, the narrative is on Cory Joseph being the likely candidate to go. Joseph is the sort of point guard teams covet due to the fact he is a good defender and a floor general. Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders has already reported that the Raptors have discussed sending Joseph to the Indiana Pacers, which means his time as a Raptor could be up soon.
Toronto’s excellent preparation means that Joseph’s absence will not be devastating, as the likes of Delon Wright and Fred van Vleet are more than capable of coming in and helping to run the Raptors bench unit.
The other options which are more palatable would be for Ujiri to find interest on sending out Jonas Valanciunas or DeMarre Carroll who both haven’t lived up to expectations. JV’s role could be questioned given his rebounding prowess and offensive potential. But, with Jakob Poeltl displaying a quicker uptake on Casey’s defensive requirements it equates to Valanciunas being expendable.
The Raptors had multiple questions to answer regardless of what happened with Kyle Lowry, but the fact he has returned means the questions are much less testing. He will go down as an all time great in Toronto, and his return is most welcome for the fans he called the best in the NBA.
