Raptors star guard Kyle Lowry will head to the Miami Heat.
Lowry posted “Miami Heat x Kyle Lowry” and “Let’s Go on!” posts to more than 907,000 Twitter fans on social media. Followed by five fire emojis.
The post was published less than 45 minutes after the free agent market officially started at 6 pm Eastern Time on Monday. The trade will not be considered an official trade until noon on Friday, and the Raptors said they have nothing to say until then.
ESPN reported that Lowry has agreed to sign a three-year contract with Toronto.
As a veteran with 15 years of NBA experience, the 35-year-old Lowry has spent the past nine seasons with the Raptors.
Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, New York Knicks and Philadelphia were once seen as possible suitors in the free agency market. The debate about Lowry’s future began before the trade deadline, but he is still a member of the Raptors, and due to travel restrictions related to the pandemic, he completed a difficult 27-45 season in Tampa.
Lowry is regarded as a key player in the free-agent guard lottery. He is one of the first dominoes to give up and lay the foundation for future signings.
As the free agency market approaches, the Heat seem to be taking steps to pave the way for the acquisition of Lowry by signing and changing. They chose veteran Goran Dragic for the US$19.4 million contract for the 2021-2022 season, which will help make the data play a role in the transaction.
Watch l Should the Raptors retire Kyle Lowry’s jersey?
CBC Sports’ Vivek Jacob and Jevohn Shepherd answered questions from fans about the Toronto Raptors in the first pouch on the North Stadium. 4:36
It is said that Lowry is also closely related to Heat star Jimmy Butler, who is reported to be about to renew his contract with Miami.
“Honestly, my family will be one of the main factors,” Lowry said when asked at the May end-of-season media conference about what will affect his next decision. “And the talk of money and years and all these things. Let’s be realistic.
“I play this game because of my passion for the game. But in the final analysis, I want to make sure that my family can be taken care of for generations and the future. Even if they are now, I want to continue to be able to do this for my family.”
But the six-time All-Star player made it clear that he is not ready to withdraw from the game.
He also made it clear that he wanted to play for competitors.
“I want a championship, this has always been my goal. Money will follow and you will be paid, but the championship is an important factor in why I play this game,” he said.
The Raptors will look forward to Fred VanVleet as the floor general.
Toronto selected guard Malachi Flynn in the first round of the 2020 draft (29th overall) and Canadian Dalano Benton (Nebraska, 46th) last week. And defender David Johnson (Louisville, 47th).
The faces of the Raptors
Lowry became the spokesperson for the Toronto team. The gritty guard helped the team defeat the Golden State Warriors in six games in 2019. His profession is to prove that people are wrong.
“I like the challenge of people leaving me out, leaving the team out,” he said in May.
The Scotiabank Arena becomes Lowry’s home. His two young sons are often in the Raptors locker room, playing video games or just hanging out with their dad.
On the court, Lowry is the commander of the Raptors.
He averaged 17.2 points and 7.3 assists per game last season, when he was only able to play 46 games due to injury. Toronto ranks 12th in the East in the playoffs.
Lowry was acquired by Toronto in a July 2012 deal with Houston, giving out Gary Forbes and a protected future first-round pick (the Rockets eventually transferred the pick to Oklahoma City, and Oklahoma City used it Come choose center Steven Adams).
“We feel that we have added a solid starting point guard to our team. He will bring tenacity, courage and organization in a very important position,” then Raptors general manager Brian Colanger Luo said at the time. “exist [26 years old], I would say that Kyle represents what I think is the future of this position. “
He was selected by Memphis with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft. Three years later, he was traded to Houston for a three-team trade, which also involved Orlando.
Lowry is the leader of the Raptors in triple-doubles (16), three-pointers (1,518), assists (4,277) and steals (873). In the Raptors record, he ranks behind his friend DeMar DeRozan (13,296) with 10,540 points.
In January 2019, he joined a select group with 5,000 professional assists to add to his legacy. Lowry found Serge Ibaka in the pick and roll, and the big man defeated Deandre Ayton for a dunk in a 111-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
“He has been in the league for a long time. He has the ball in his hands and passed it to a lot of people,” Toronto coach Nick Nas said at the time. “Since I came here five and a half years ago, this is the first thing I noticed-how he finds the right person to pass the ball to him. He really directs the offense and knows where to get the ball.”
Lowry’s salary last season was $30.5 million. According to HoopsHype, Villanova’s products have earned more than $190 million in his career.
Lowry is the latest member of the Raptors’ 2019 championship team to leave the team. Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol, Danny Green, Noam Powell and Ibaka have all left.
