How the desperate Knicks are now driving the market for Kyle Lowry
While trading Rudy Gay should actually result in a short-term improvement in both on-court quality and visual appeal for the Raptors, Masai Ujiri's recent comments ensuring that the team would not be caught in the middle or in "no man's land," as he puts it, and the plethora of prizes awaiting bad teams in this summer's NBA Draft paint a picture of a Toronto team set to enter the much ballyhooed 2013-14 Tankathon.
With Gay and his cap clogging albatross of a contract now out of the picture, Ujiri will likely move on to dealing (at least) one of Kyle Lowry, Amir Johnson or DeMar DeRozan to really initiate a race to the bottom, and based on recent reports, most notably from ESPN's Marc Stein, Lowry appears to be first in line.
The 27-year-old is enjoying a solid bounce back season for the Raps after a frustrating first year in Toronto, posting 14.6 points, 6.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and an 11th-ranked assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.79 to go with a PER of 17.45 in over 36 minutes per game. When you combine all of that with Lowry's defensive abilities at the point and his relatively cheap salary this year ($6,210,000), you might wonder why Toronto wouldn't consider keeping him around and negotiating an extension with him rather than shopping him in a desperate attempt to tank.
With Lowry, however, there is more to consider. First and foremost, teams should always be wary of a player bouncing back to their expected production and getting in shape for a contract year when just the year prior, said player didn't look like he had his body prepared for an 82-game grind. In addition, Lowry has had a recent history of injury and health issues that saw him miss 54 games over a four-year span coming into this season, and he's also had a prickly history of perceived attitude problems. When you consider this side of the coin, the best way for a rebuilding Raptors team to view Lowry's solid first quarter of the season is as a boost for his trade value. Assuming he would re-sign in the off-season or is even worth a long-term commitment likely isn't worth the risk at this stage of Ujiri's plan.
If the team has a chance to turn an expiring Lowry, a player not even in their future plans, into young assets and/or draft picks, that's the way to go. And thanks to some desperate situations in New York, Los Angeles and other cities around the NBA, Ujiri and the Raptors may just get that chance.
The Knicks, sporting a 6-15 record with little chance to surround Carmelo Anthony with more talent, are the epitome of desperate right now. Their delusional owner expects their flawed roster to win a championship this season, Anthony can opt out and take his talents elsewhere this summer, Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. are their only young assets, they can't trade another first round pick until their 2018 first, and they won't have cap space for another year-and-a-half.
The way he's playing right now, Lowry would be a significant upgrade over any of the Knicks' options at the point, and could combine with Anthony and an eventually returning Tyson Chandler to form a more than capable trio in the Eastern Conference, with Andrea Bargnani, Amar'e Stoudemire and others filling in as the supporting cast. That team won't win a title, but in the putrid East, they would make the playoffs, potentially win the embarrassing Atlantic Division and possibly even a playoff series. That's a lot better than what New York is facing right now.
And so according to reports, the Knicks may be prepared to part with one of Shumpert or Hardaway and even that 2018 first round pick, in addition to saddling Toronto with the currently injured Raymond Felton and the up to $7,744,006 remaining on his deal for two more seasons after this one (The Knicks would obviously prefer not to include Shumpert/Hardaway with the pick, so hence their counter of Felton, World Peace and a pick). Felton makes the deal much less attractive for Toronto, but at the very worst, rumors that New York could deal a young asset and a future first for Lowry might force another desperate team's hand, and there are plenty out there.
The Lakers can't offer up a first round pick until 2019, but if they throw in some of their many expiring deals with that very future pick, perhaps it trumps having to take back Felton. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, meanwhile, throws the Nets and Warriors into the mix as teams interested in Lowry. Brooklyn has even less in the way of young assets or picks than the Knicks do. Golden State has already traded both of their 2014 picks and they surely wouldn't include a young prospect like Harrison Barnes in a rental deal for Lowry, but they could send one of their collection of trade exceptions to Toronto, who already have a couple of exceptions created by the Andrea Bargnani and Rudy Gay trades, according to ESPN's Trade Machine.
Other teams come to mind as well. Perhaps the Pacers look for an upgrade over C.J. Watson. The Bulls are so desperate for a point guard that they've just agreed to bring in D.J. Augustin (who the Raptors actually waived on Monday). The Bucks and their perennial quest for mediocrity rather than valuable futility can never be ruled out of such talks.
When you're a rebuilding team looking to take a strategic step back, the best you can hope for veteran players not in your future plans is that they up their trade value and make themselves appealing to desperate teams who can't always think straight. Between Lowry's impressive play to start the season, the Knicks' apocalyptic start to the season and some of the injuries popping up elsewhere around the Association, it all seems to be coming together (save for seeking additional 2014 picks) for a Raptors team that has shifted its focus to the 2014 Draft Lottery and the future in general.