Report: Kyle Lowry will receive “lucrative offer” from Philadelphia 76ers this summer
According to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer, the 76ers have long been planning to offer Kyle Lowry a “lucrative” contract this summer.
Earlier this week, Toronto Raptors‘ Kyle Lowry unsurprisingly announced he will opt-out of his current contract and become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Although Raptors president Masai Ujiri made it very clear during his end of season press conference on Tuesday that he wants to see the 31-year-old guard return to Toronto this offseason, other teams will be vying for Lowry, including his hometown Philadelphia 76ers.
According to a report from Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers have long been planning to pursue Lowry, who is a former Philly high school and Villanova superstar, this offseason and are prepared to offer him a “lucrative” contract. Pompey also says sources have told him Lowry has had interest in playing for Philly, too.
"Will Lowry, a former Cardinal Dougherty High and Villanova standout, choose to come home?Sources have said the North Philly native has been interested in playing for the Sixers for some time. The speculation only heightened once Bryan Colangelo became the president of basketball operations in April 2016. As the Raptors general manager, Colangelo acquired Lowry in a trade from the Houston Rockets on July 11, 2012. The two have remained good friends since then.And sources have always said that the Sixers planned to offer Lowry a lucrative contract offer this summer."
During his season-ending presser, Lowry was explicit when he said his main goal in free agency is to sign with a team who he feels can help him win a ring. The problem with that sentiment, though, is almost every “championship level” team in the NBA faces some sort of salary cap conundrum.
The Spurs, for example, would not only need Pau Gasol to opt-out of his deal, they would also need to find a way to shave off at least another $5 million from their roster. Even if all of that happens, Lowry would still have to take a pay cut in order to sign there.
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So unless he is willing to take less money to pursue a ring, like David West did, both Toronto and Philadelphia have the upper-hand in negotiations, especially the Raptors since they can offer Lowry a full max-deal, which would be five-years, $205 million.
Back to the idea of Philadelphia signing Lowry, though. Realistically, if the Sixers are going to make Lowry a “lucrative” offer, it has to be the full-max, which would be a four-year, $158 million deal. Financial ramifications aside, does that mean Ben Simmons as a “point-forward” won’t happen if Lowry signs?
The Sixers have been saying Simmons will be one of their primary ball handlers ever since they drafted him, but wouldn’t Lowry automatically supersede Simmons and alter those plans? Don’t get me wrong, I understand all the connections here, including the Colangelo-Lowry relationship, but when you look at the Sixers’ roster construction and Lowry’s desire to win a ring, does Philadelphia really make sense?
Next: 4 Takeaways from Masai Ujiri's season ending press conference
However, after seeing LeBron James go to Miami in “the Decision,” and Kevin Durant join the Golden State Warriors last summer, I will never rule anything out in the NBA. I’ll just say it seems unlikely, kind of like how this whole Kyle Lowry to the Sixers idea seems unlikely.