From the North, Kyle Lowry will now take his talents to the South; South Beach, that is.
Lowry signed a three-year $90 million contract with the Miami Heat on Monday. This ends his tenure with the Toronto Raptors after nine years.
In exchange, Miami sends veteran guard Goran Dragic and 2020 first-round pick Precious Achiuwa to Toronto in the deal.
Lowry won a title for the franchise in 2019 after beating the Warriors in six games. This was a pinnacle moment for Lowry in Toronto after going through some rough playoff defeats.
Now, he begins a new era in Miami with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. The Heat were swept in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Lowry averaged 17.2 points per game on 43.6% shooting from the floor, including nearly 40% from beyond the arc paired with 7.3 assists in 2021. The 35-year-old is definitely one of the all-time greatest players in Raptors history. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (4,277), steals (873), three-pointers (1,518), and triple-doubles (18).
Kyle was also loved for his impact on the court that didn’t always show up on the stat sheet bringing a bulldog mentality as a leader. This makes the Heat a serious contender in the East with the addition of a serious talent at the point guard spot.
Miami will look to climb higher than the six seed they claimed in 2021, coming off a Finals appearance in 2020 as the five seed.
Kyle Lowry signed a three-year $90 million contract with the Miami Heat on Monday. This ends his tenure with the Toronto Raptors after nine years.The East has two obvious contenders at the top, with the Milwaukee Bucks looking to repeat and the Brooklyn Nets with the best roster in the NBA. After that, the East is a log jam with the uncertainty of Ben Simmons’ tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers.
This opens the door for the Miami Heat to make some noise this season. Butler and Lowry bring lots of experience to the table.
Duncan Robinson was just re-signed to the largest contract ever for an undrafted player. Robinson penned a five-year, $90 million contract to stay in Miami.
The Heat once again made a splash in free agency while other teams around the East like Boston and Indiana went dormant. Miami has made themselves contenders once again and should be a formidable team to make noise in the playoffs once again this season.
