Heat attempting to trade Kyle Lowry; would Raptors return work?

It’s always hard to know how far the Miami Heat can go. Last year, for instance, they looked like they were headed nowhere. Then they made it to the Finals.

This year, who knows? Maybe they are on a similar path. But they may try to make some changes ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

Per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the Heat are attempting to move on from point guard Kyle Lowry, for starters.

Lowry is in the final year of a contract that pays him $29.7 million. And expiring contracts are always valuable at the deadline.

“The Heat continues to explore trades involving Kyle Lowry ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline, according to multiple league sources,” Chiang wrote. “Lowry holds value on the trade market with his sizable expiring $29.7 million salary.”

The Heat originally signed Lowry to a three-year, $85 million deal in August 2021 as part of a sign-and-trade arrangement with the Toronto Raptors. 

This season, he’s averaging 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals, shooting 43 percent from the field and 39 percent on 3-pointers. Overall, the Heat are 92-63 in the regular season when Lowry plays.

Miami has been linked to Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier and Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, and both players are said to be available. Charlotte may certainly have interest in a contract such as Lowry’s, given they could use it to clear some cap space.

Rozier reportedly would like to play for the Heat if traded.

“Terry Rozier’s strong play has made the combo guard a more viable trade candidate than ever at his $24 million average annual salary, with a known preference to join the Miami Heat, league sources told Yahoo Sports,” wrote Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

The Heat are also believed to be interested in new Raptors guard Bruce Brown, and given Toronto is where Lowry’s career was most successful, perhaps a deal could be worked out between the sides.

It’s not known if the Raptors are interested in such a deal, but Lowry is certainly beloved by the fan base and a final half-season run there may help a team that recently landed RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.

Lowry, 37, is a six-time All-Star. He carries NBA career averages of 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.3 steals with the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Raptors and Heat. He was a member of the Raptors’ 2019 championship team.