Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has made it clear he'll opt out of his contract and enter free agency this offseason. That's not a surprise, as Lowry can get a massive pay raise. However, that pay raise might not come from the Raptors.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Philadelphia 76ers plan to offer Lowry a contract. And Lowry actually has interest in joining the 76ers.
"Sources have said the North Philly native has been interested in playing for the Sixers for some time," Pompey writes. "The speculation only heightened once Bryan Colangelo became the president of basketball operation in April 2016. As the Raptors' former general manager, Colangelo acquired Lowry in a trade from the Houston Rockets on July 11, 2012. The two have remained good friends since then. And sources have always said that the Sixers planned to offer Lowry a lucrative contract this summer."
Lowry's interest in the 76ers does come as at least a partial surprise, since he's indicated he wants to chase a ring. That could be an issue with the 76ers, who have young talent, but might not be ready to compete. ESPN's Zach Lowe has already reported the 76ers would make a run at Lowry.
Lowry would also lose out on money by signing with the 76ers. The Raptors can offer him a deal worth $200 million over five years. The most the 76ers can offer is $152 million over four years.
The 76ers have indicated they want to play Ben Simmons at point guard on offense, which makes for an interesting fit with Lowry. However, Lowry did spend his years in Toronto with the ball-dominant DeMar DeRozan.
Losing Lowry would be a huge blow to the Raptors. The team doesn't have a PG near his level of ability on the roster and cap space is already tight for Toronto.
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