People gave me shit last week when I tweeted “COME HOME” in response to a Big Lead story mentioning the possibility of Kyle Lowry signing with the Sixers, but now Lowry-to-Philly is all the rage after Zach Lowe said on his podcast that it’s a real possibility.

Lowry can (and likely will, according to reports) opt out of his deal with the Raptors this summer. At 31, he will likely get a max deal that will pay him over $30 million per year for the next four years. There is some conjecture that he’ll want to go to a Western Conference team to avoid LeBron James. But if he doesn’t, the Sixers seem like a good fit.

To be clear, I am not saying for sure that the Sixers should do this. I understand there are absolutely two sides to the argument, but being the most famous Villanova sports blogger on this planet, I consider it my duty to argue on behalf of a player you would love. REPORTING FOR DUTY, SIR:

Why would Lowry want to come here?

Lowry is from North Philly and went to Cardinal Dougherty, where he was an underrecruited, undersized guard who, according to Villanova legend, once blew off Phil Martelli with a “we ’bout done here, dawg?” scoff at the mere notion of playing in the A-10. He went to Villanova, where he tore his ACL playing in a street ball game while he was supposed to be on campus for orientation. He miraculously returned four months later, uncoincidentally (word?) at the exact same moment Villanova began to skyrocket up the national rankings. In a blowout win over Kansas a month later, Lowry was kicked out of a game for punching Keith Langford in the gut.

He’s grown up a lot since then.

Lowry now lives on the Main Line and works out at Villanova every day, at 5 a.m., during the summer.

The type of dude who has a perpetual chip on his shoulder, I would imagine there is nothing more he would like to do than come back and help his hometown team win a championship.

 

Don’t the Sixers plan on using Ben Simmons at the point?

Ben Simmons will be a work-in-progress as a bit of a hybrid point guard, one who needs to work on his shot and defense. Lowry has already shown that he can play, and excel, alongside a ball-dominant guard in DeMar DeRozan. Having Lowry share the ball-handling duties with Simmons to take some of the pressure off the rookie and serve as a veteran presence on a frighteningly young team makes all the sense in the world. Add in the fact that Simmons and Lowry have mostly complementary skillsets – Lowry can shoot, rebound and defend, while Simmons has a unique playmaking ability – and you have fairly perfect fit.

 

A max deal for a 31-year-old point guard who missed the last two games of the playoffs with an injury?

Lowry will be in his mid 30s making over $30 million per year by the time his next contract ends. Not ideal. But the Sixers have more cap space than they know what to do with, and if you’re of the belief that Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and whomever they draft this year will be the cornerstones of the franchise who will need just one veteran star to turn them into contenders, then there are far worse moves than spending now on Lowry. It likely wouldn’t prevent the Sixers from maxing Embiid in a couple years, and Simmons is still several years off from comically large sums of cash. So while Lowry might prevent them from signing another star veteran in, say, 2019, they perhaps wouldn’t need one if Embiid is healthy, Simmons is as-advertised, and Lowry can still compete at a high level.

Yes, he’s small (6’1), appears slightly pudgy, and has a history of impact (but not severe) injuries. Some writing I’ve seen on the matter would have you believe that small point guards die when they turn 32. But look at guys like Steve Nash and Tony Parker– they played at a high level well into their mid 30s. Lowry, especially if he can progressively offload some of the ball-handling duties to Simmons, and scoring duties to Embiid, can easily be effective through his next contract. Will he be overpaid by years 3 and 4? Yeah, probably, but the Sixers can afford it.

 

Didn’t Bryan Colangelo sign Lowry in Toronto and doesn’t he seem like exactly the sort of guy who would feel the need to validate his own genius by signing one of “his guys” at his next stop?

You’re goddamn right.

 

Why go for it now?

Signing Lowry wouldn’t represent the Sixers going for it NOW. But Lowry would instantly take pressure off younger players, allow them to develop in more friendly environment, and likely enable them to get playoff experience NEXT SEASON. By years 3 and 4 of his deal, the Sixers could realistically challenge an aging LeBron (talk about someone with a workload) in the East– Lowry would have a reduced and complementary veteran role on that team.

 

Would we love him?

Lowry is everything every Philly fans want in a player. He’s real, raw, and wants to maim his opponents. The reckless abandon with which he played at Villanova has been dialed back a bit, but he plays to win, defends and rebounds, usually against guys much bigger than him. He would most likely tell someone on the Knicks to go fuck themselves on a live mic. His playoff flameouts in Toronto are a result of him and DeRozan not quite being superstar caliber and bad coaching, and I suspect Lowry will make it his life’s mission not to let it happen again. Lowry, on a team with superstars, would be an excellent addition. And you would love him.