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Report: Sixers a “Real Possibility” if Hornets Buy Out Kyle Lowry
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This is from Jake Fischer’s latest writeup at Yahoo, titled “How the Terry Rozier trade has reset the point guard market.” –
(Kyle) Lowry being dealt to Charlotte adds another name to the field of backcourt players available. He’s a potential re-trade candidate for the Hornets, sources said, but also as a potential player on the buyout market, should Charlotte not find a deal for the veteran floor general. At that point, one destination that currently appears to be a real possibility: Philadelphia, where the Sixers stand as one of the few contenders below the first luxury tax apron and capable of signing a player who was bought out from a contract pricier than this year’s mid-level exception ($12.4 million.) Lowry is not expected to join the Hornets prior to the trade deadline, league sources told Yahoo Sports, and will likely remain away from the franchise while the future of the respected 18-year veteran gets resolved.
Fischer goes on to mention that “New York, Milwaukee and Philadelphia have all been mentioned by league personnel as interested in finding point guard reinforcements.”
RE: the luxury tax apron and the buyout market, there’s a rule in place that prohibits teams from signing buyout players based on the threshold Fischer describes. In this case, a bought-out Lowry cannot be picked up by the Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Heat, Clippers, Bucks, or Suns. The Sixers, however, are under the apron.
The question, then, is whether Kyle Lowry does anything for anybody. On one hand, if you get him on a buyout, he knows Nick Nurse and can provide ball handling help without having to give up assets. On the other hand, he’s 37 years old and dangerously close to being washed, and might not provide much more than what Patrick Beverley is already providing. I guess you can never go wrong with another veteran on a minimum, and Lowry’s a hometown Villanova kid. I know that Kyle Scott Laskowski would be all about this move, for obvious reasons.
Dunno though. Lowry is fucking annoying, in my personal opinion. I guess that doesn’t matter if he’s on your team, but the flopping is bothersome:
I’m also old enough to remember when Ben Simmons elbowed him in the nuts:
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com