Report: Clippers Have Expressed Interest in Kyle Lowry
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported that the LA Clippers are among the teams interested in Toronto Raptors Point Guard Kyle Lowry.
The other two teams that Pompey mentioned were the Philadelphia (Lowry’s hometown) 76ers and Miami Heat.
In the article, Pompey cites the fact that Clippers Head Coach Tyronn Lue and Assistant Coach Chauncey Billups are both good friends of Lowry’s.
From an on-court perspective, the fit is about as ideal as the Clippers could reasonably ask for. Sure, Lowry isn’t in the Bradley Beal stratosphere of potential trade pieces that could swing a title, but the Clippers wouldn’t have enough to offer Washington anyway. However, the same could be said about Toronto as well.
The Clippers do not have any available first-round picks to trade for Lowry, thanks to last year’s Paul George trade. This means LA has to hope that Toronto is intrigued enough by their core young prospects (Ivica Zubac, Luke Kennard and potentially Mfiondu Kabengele) to say no to offers from Philadelphia and Miami, who can offer picks in addition to young talent.
It’s a tough ask. Ultimately, Toronto’s decision may come down to how much they are willing to accommodate Lowry, who might be their most important player in franchise history. If they are fine with taking a loss on the deal to send Lowry to his preferred destination (though Pompey reports that Lowry wants to be in Philadelphia), then perhaps they would be willing to work with LA.
If the Clippers do successfully trade for Lowry, their depth would be depleted. But Their top-end talent would be elite, and Lowry would fill the role of a “true point guard” that so many fans and media members have been calling on the Clippers’ front office to pursue. He’d fit like a glove when healthy, as he’s able to play on or off the ball, guard about as well as Patrick Beverley, (who would almost certainly have to be included in the trade to make the salaries match) and run the offense in the late-game scenarios in which the Clippers have struggled so mightily this season.
The Clippers will still be a contender regardless of whether they trade for Lowry. But if they can acquire the six-time All-Star, it could be enough to finally carry them to the promised land.
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