The Lakers Must Pursue Kyle Lowry This Offseason

Prior to the NBA trade deadline this season, the Lakers were rumored to have interest in trading for Toronto Raptors’ star point guard Kyle Lowry. They opted not to end up making the big trade and probably wish they would have. Lowry would have made a major difference for Los Angeles and they should resume their pursuit of him this offseason.

Lowry is set to hit the free agency market and any team could swoop in and sign him. For the Lakers, however, it would take a sign-and-trade with the Raptors to bring Lowry onboard.

Thankfully, the Lakers have pieces that they could use to make the trade happen. Among those pieces are Montrezl Harrell (who has a player option), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Kyle Kuzma. Los Angeles isn’t rich in draft picks, but they could still figure something out with Toronto.

During the 2020-21 NBA season with the Raptors, Lowry ended up averaging 17.2 points per game to go along with 7.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds. He shot 43.6 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 39.6 percent of his three-point attempts.

What the Lakers would be acquiring with this move would be scoring, perimeter shooting, and a third star to take pressure off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Los Angeles cannot continue depending on their superstar duo to do all the work. They need to be aggressive while their championship window is open.

If they were able to acquire Lowry this offseason, they would be getting a massive upgrade at the point guard position. Dennis Schroder was serviceable this year, but he left a lot to be desired.

Kyle Lowry is the piece that could push the Lakers back into the NBA Finals. Los Angeles would have to give up some value to get him, but it would be well worth the price. This is a move that the Lakers should go all-out for this offseason.