As I covered last Friday, it’s a rare and special thing for a team to find itself perfectly situated at the meeting point of low expectations and maximum fun. Being there, as these Raptors are, grants you certain luxuries, particularly when it comes to personnel moves.
Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster have done their tear-down. The future is secured, as much as it can be in the ever-fluid NBA. Sure, there are a couple guys who will likely find themselves on new teams by mid-February, though the collective return for the Bruce Browns, Chris Bouchers and Davion Mitchells of the world isn’t likely to be a notable haul.
In fact, the highest value item the Raptors could chase on the trade front this season isn’t some middling draft pick, but rather, a rush of nostalgic feelings. If a 30th-anniversary season full of Guy Remembering, development and vibes isn’t the time to go all-in on the bit, I don’t know what is.
The Toronto Raptors should trade for Kyle Lowry.
The stars are aligned. Lowry, the greatest Raptor to ever live, is nearing the end of his storied career. Four months out from his 39th birthday, time seems to be catching up with this most unlikely of 19-year pros. His Sixers are languishing below Toronto in the standings, while his own play, dropping off sharply after a hot spurt to start the year, has rendered him an undressed DNP-CD for four-straight games. Even his attire suggests he understands the end is closing in.
For Philly, a team trying and failing to crawl out of an injury and roster build-induced chasm, Lowry probably isn’t part of the solution. But for these Raptors, pledged to infusing their youthful core with wisdom and know-how in the midst of a year-long celebration of the franchise’s history, he’d be a perfect add, down to the last note.
There’s precedent for this type of thing; rousing, tear-jerking precedent. Back at the 2015 trade deadline, the 16-win Minnesota Timberwolves dipped into their own sentimentality bag, striking a deal with the Brooklyn Nets to bring the GTWOAT, Kevin Garnett, back to Minneapolis to sagely guide Andrew Wiggins (and eventually Karl-Anthony Towns) through the dawn of their careers as the sun set on his own.
As an absolute mark for a stirring montage, the Wolves’ pre-game intro the night of his return remains, to me, the single greatest achievement in game ops since The Hatching of the Raptor.
A similar moment is there for the Raptors, should they want it, and it could cost them nothing but some light paperwork. Unless its pure “been there before” experience a contender is after, Lowry isn’t likely to be the apple of many team’s eye at this year’s deadline. Nor does it feel like he’s got the legs to help power a Sixers resurgence. If Toronto called up Daryl Morey, you’d think it could be pretty easy to iron something out, even within the league’s trade-restrictive new CBA.
After December 15th, a direct salary matching Bruno Fernando for Lowry swap, for example, is very much legal, and seemingly a no-lose proposition for either side. Lowry, who’s on record with his desire to retire a Raptor in some capacity, returns to the franchise he legitimized, while the Sixers add a modest bit of big man insurance — a thing I hear they often need.
Poetic, tidy swan songs are rare in the cutthroat world of pro sports. Typically, once your utility as a player wanes, so do your prospects of hanging onto a roster spot. These Raptors can, of course, afford to hand some minutes to an aging icon this season. Winning isn’t the priority, and as we’ve seen play out with Garrett Temple, this is a front office and coaching staff that has no problem devoting roster space to intangibles.
In some cases, clinging to a distant past is the definition of toxic. In the case of Lowry, granting him a chance to guide the next generation of Raptors would be the joyous, romantic end he’s always deserved.
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Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Katie Heindl of this very newsletter for the audio edition of TPF, where we talk about Bruce Brown’s nearing return, rookie optimism and yes, trading for Kyle Lowry. Enjoy the show, and have a great weekend!
