Trade rumble: Sense around league remains Toronto more likely to trade Kyle Lowry than keep him to prevent losing asset for nothing. But …
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 27, 2014
Issue here hasn’t changed: No team out there willing YET to meet Raps’ asking price for PG who, nice as he’s playin, can bolt in free agency
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 27, 2014
OK, so the Raptors have two options:
- Sign Lowry to an extension, which basically means pay a high price based on a stretch of play.
- Don’t do anything and negotiate in the summer, when maybe he’s cooled off and his asking price isn’t as high. Obviously you risk losing him for nothing.
- Trade him now in a “sell high” situation.
I’ve always liked Lowry and would want to see him here. The variable in that statement is what exactly his market value is, and if there’s a team out there willing to overpay. That’s what Ujiri is trying to do as well and I can’t blame him. If we can flip Lowry for a starter + pick in this year’s draft, it would be a hard one to turn down. At the very least, we should be asking the question of what his value is.
Apparently there isn’t a team out there willing to match Ujiri’s asking price and that’s likely because he’s asking for a first round pick. This might come down to the wire with Lowry being dangled in front of a contender. And yes, there’s always a third team involved, hopefully that team has a 2014 pick to offer. Or at least that’s what Ujiri is hoping.
