Report: Adrian Wojnarowski says Kyle Lowry “could’’ be dealt at the NBA Trade Deadline

NBA trade talk and rumors continue to heat up, as we are now a week away from the NBA trade deadline. ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski went in-depth about some of the possible storylines that could solidify over the next few weeks on the most recent episode of the Woj Pod — including some involving the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers are expected to be very active over the next week. After all, Daryl Morey is in charge and no stranger to wheeling and dealing in the NBA.

The major talking point of the episode, mentioned numerous times, was in regards to Toronto’s Kyle Lowry. The main takeaway from the episode is that Lowry’s trade status is very much up in the air. Woj had this to say to Tim Bontemps in the first half of the episode:

“They’re not gonna send him somewhere you’d consider an outpost. What he’s done for the Raptors...I know Masai is going to send him somewhere he wants to go. Philly makes sense in a lot of ways. It’s home for him. That’s gonna be one to watch.”

This is a pretty bold quote from the biggest newsbreaker in the NBA. My biggest takeaway from the first mention of Lowry in this episode is definitely how he ends this question with: “that’s gonna be the one to watch”. Lowry has been rumored to Miami and Los Angeles (Clippers), along with Philly. The main difficulty in trading for Lowry remains his $30 million in salary, as it’s simply a big number to match in a trade.

Miami recently pulled the trigger on a deal with the Thunder, trading Meyers Leonard for Trevor Ariza. Leonard’s salary of just under $10 million was viewed as a huge piece in any theoretical Lowry-to-Miami deal, and constructing a deal between those two teams may be more difficult now than originally thought from a salary standpoint. It’s also important to note that both the Clippers and Heat have very little to offer from a draft compensation standpoint. All of these factors, along with Lowry being a Philadelphia native, point to the Sixers having the best odds in the event that Lowry requests a trade.

Woj was even asked again at the end of the episode if he felt that Lowry would be dealt at the deadline. He responded:

“I think he could. I still think Toronto will give him a lot of voice [in regards to] if he wants to be moved and where he would like to play. I know Masai Ujiri won’t send Kyle Lowry to an outpost, or place that he doesn’t have interest being in.”

These two quotes give us a descriptive idea of what Kyle Lowry’s trade deadline might hold. By the sounds of it, the ball is figuratively in Lowry’s court. It seems like Toronto will either be perfectly content to ride out the season with their star point guard or do their best to honor his request of a trade.

The Sixers are one of the favorites in the East and would be a great fit for the twilight of Lowry’s career. Expect rumors to continue to heat up as we approach the trade deadline on March 25. We will keep you updated with any and all trade news here at Liberty Ballers.