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Sources: Kyle Lowry headed to Heat on 3-year deal via sign-and-trade

vincent goodwill · ben rohrbach
·3 min read

Six-time All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry, one of the most coveted free agents on the NBA's open market, agreed to a three-year deal via a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat, league sources told Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill.

Lowry seemingly confirmed the news via tweet.

The 35-year-old has played his past nine seasons in Toronto, helping lead the Raptors to the franchise's first championship in 2019. Playing in Tampa Bay due to Canada's travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, the Raptors missed the playoffs this past season for the first time since 2013, finishing 27-45.

Lowry averaged 17.2 points (on 44/40/88 shooting splits), 7.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 34.8 minutes per game last season. Citing toe, thumb, ankle, foot and back injuries, he missed 26 games, the most since he played sparingly as a rookie with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2006-07 season. Admittedly, many of those absences came down the stretch of the season.

Kyle Lowry has played his last nine NBA seasons with the Toronto Raptors. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Kyle Lowry has played his last nine NBA seasons with the Toronto Raptors. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Toronto secured the fourth overall pick in Thursday's draft as a result and passed on selecting Jalen Suggs, a potential Lowry replacement in the backcourt, in favor of ultra-competitive wing defender Scottie Barnes.

Trade speculation followed Lowry for much of Toronto's wayward season. He was linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and L.A. Clippers — every contender in need at his position — but the asking price for his expiring contract proved too high. That list was expected to expand this summer to young teams looking for a veteran who might do what Chris Paul did for the Phoenix Suns last season.

Lowry may not be the talent Paul is, but he is darn close on both ends of the floor, just as annoying an opponent and just as beloved a teammate. Even at 35 years old, his bruising style still commands games.

Toronto coach Nick Nurse called Lowry "maybe the greatest Raptor" ever last season, and his backcourt mate Fred VanVleet removed the qualifier. Regardless of where he landed in free agency, Lowry left no doubt where his loyalty lies, telling reporters in March, "Let me say this: I will retire as a Toronto Raptor."

Heat also add PJ Tucker

After winning an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, PJ Tucker agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with the Heat, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported.

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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach

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