Los Angeles Clippers Receive: G Kyle Lowry, C Aron Baynes
Toronto Raptors Receive: G Patrick Beverley, F Marcus Morris Sr, C Ivica Zubac, F Mfiondu Kabengele, ATL 2022 2nd Round Pick (via LAC), LAC 2022 2nd Round Pick, LAC 2027 1st Round Pick (Top-10 Protected)
In order for the Clippers to acquire Kyle Lowry, they would have to be willing to not only give up a lot of players to match Lowry’s $30M salary, but they would also have to part with a fair amount of draft compensation since basically all they have to offer is second-round picks.
With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George taking up about $70M in cap space, it would be very difficult for the Clippers to bring in a third max-contract, but they could make it work by getting rid of 3-4 players. In this scenario, Beverley, Morris, Zubac and Kabengele would all be on the move and could all make a difference in Toronto.
This trade would likely be a multi-team deal since Toronto would have to unload two additional players from their roster if they were to acquire all four players from Los Angeles. If Toronto decided to keep all four guys they would be receiving in this trade scenario, then they could be in a great position given their lack of all-around depth.
They would be getting a reliable, young center in Zubac, a hard-nosed defender in Pat Beverley and a reliable offensive talent on the wing in Marcus Morris Sr. Kabengele would be expendable to the Raptors and would likely remain in the G-League should they keep him.
While they would likely want more draft compensation if they were to trade Lowry, the Raptors get three high-impact players that can help them win now, as well as some second-round picks over the next few years. This is not bad value at all for the Raptors, but the question remains if the Clippers are this desperate to add talent.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: 76ers could target trade for Raptors star Kyle Lowry before deadline
By making this trade, they could be making a huge mistake because they would be giving up a lot of their secondary talent and ultimately, could really hurt their overall depth. Lowry is definitely an upgrade from Patrick Beverley in the backcourt, but losing Zubac and Morris could be two big hits to this Clippers roster.
Does this trade make sense for both teams in the grand scheme of things? Let’s take a closer look at this trade and break it down from each team’s perspective.