Best landing spots for Kyle Lowry: Miami Heat
Then there’s the Miami Heat. The Heat were one of those unfortunate teams that hoarded cap space like a dragon on a pile of gold to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Now that the dream of signing Giannis is over, they’re entering this next season with enough space to sign a max free agent but without the crown jewel to sign. Matching salary is also much easier since the Heat can send Kelly Olynyk and Goran Dragic to match Kyle Lowry’s $30 million perfectly.
Adding Lowry gives Miami another All-Star-level player who can join the Finals-tested nucleus of Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Does this push them over the top and over other Eastern Conference contenders like the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, or Philadelphia 76ers?
Potentially. They did just make it to the Finals when nobody expected it.
If it doesn’t work, they’ve just moved on from the cheaper Dragic to acquire a 35-year-old who would probably command more than what Dragic would on the open market.
Additionally, if the alternative trade is Thybulle and a bag of peanuts, then why would Toronto bother with Olynyk and Dragic, neither of them is the prospect that the Philly wing is. To sweeten the pot, Miami would have to throw in some draft compensation like their 2022 first-round pick or their 2024 first-rounder.
Do they want to do this if he could just walk in a year and there’s little-to-no upside past this season?