That feeling? It’s the horror of finding shit in your pants.
Remember how fun this season was? Remember all those wins and that exciting playoff appearance? Good, now keep those warm memories in mind and put it into a safe deposit box of some kind. Treasure it and hide them from view, because it could all come to an end.
According to a report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Heat and Lowry have “mutual interest” in a free-agency signing. Lowry is an unrestricted free-agent, and happens to be the top point guard on the market. The Heat, of course, are four-time reigning Eastern conference champions, and just happen to have a Wario Chalmers-sized hole at the one. This comes on the backs of a mid-December quip from Zach Lowe, who reiterated the Heat’s interest in signing Lowry.
[Read: Brace Yourself, Lowry Could Go]
Here’s an analogy. Let’s say you’re in a bad place in life — middling job, not many friends, doesn’t have much money — but you do have one great thing: a wonderful relationship. Now, the relationship is great because it gets you through your day and grants you a Netflix partner, but it’s always in the back of your mind — you’re far too reliant on them. You know that if they want a break-up, you’ll be utterly miserable. Then, your partner goes to this magical bar filled with attractive singles — we’re talking good-looking doctors with great hair and whatnot — and he/she left their cell-phone behind. Oh, and this is the same bar that your previous partner went to after leaving you spent and hopeless. It’s like that. They could just be going for a drink, or you could be left watching the remainder of season 4 of Archer by yourself.
Yeah.
Lowry averaged 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game, good for a 20.1 PER. He managed to avoid injury and coaching clashes for the first time in his career to post career-highs across the board. He’s 28 years old and slated for a big payday.
To make this happen, the Heat have to get creative with their payroll. LeBron, Bosh and Wade would have to opt-out and re-sign more team friendly deals to create cap room. Lowry will likely command upwards of $12 million per year on market, but a chance to play with the vaunted Heat should count as a discount. With Shane Battier and possibly Chris Anderson and Ray Allen retiring, the Heat also need to be mindful of not overspending on Lowry, as they need to fill out the remainder of their roster.
And of course, it’s totally possible that Windhorst is just reading the tea leaves on the situation. The Heat need a point guard, and who wouldn’t want to play for a title contender? But still, this sucks.
[H/T Hoops Rumors]
