The Miami Heat reportedly are still trying to move on from veteran point guard Kyle Lowry ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.
Lowry is currently dealing with a knee injury that has thrust Gabe Vincent into the starting lineup for the Heat. The young guard has played well this season for Miami as a starter, and it could make Lowry expendable.
The Heat may also want to move Lowry to get off the final year of his contract. The six-time All-Star has not been the same player he was with the Toronto Raptors since the Heat acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal with them prior to the start of 2021-22 regular season.
This season, Lowry is averaging 12.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. Lowry is shooting his worst percentage from beyond the arc since the 2009-10 season.
The veteran has started all 44 games that he’s played in, but the Heat don’t seem to view him as that much better than Vincent since they’re willing to move him.
Miami had been interested in guard D’Angelo Russell, who is in the final year of his contract, but he was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night in a three-team deal involving the Utah Jazz.
That takes one option off of the board for Miami, who is looking to get back to the playoffs and make another deep run this season. The Heat made the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2021-22 campaign, but they fell short in Game 7 of that series against the Boston Celtics.
Moving Lowry could give Miami a chance to upgrade the roster as well as open up more time for Vincent, Victor Oladipo (if healthy) and Tyler Herro to handle the ball at the guard position.
The NBA’s trade deadline is set for 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, so the Heat don’t have much time to get a Lowry deal done. If they can move the one-time champion, it would help the team in the future with the money it would save.
Miami currently holds the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference after beating the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.