Los Angeles Lakers could receive boost from Kyle Lowry

If the Los Angeles Lakers are unable to land any big free agents this summer, rumored trade target Kyle Lowry would provide a nice boost.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of options in free-agency this offseason. Options like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Klay Thompson are unlikely for the Lakers. However there are plenty of other intriguing players such as Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Khris Middleton, and DeMarcus Cousins are a bit more realistic.

One player that has recently drawn buzz as a potential target is Kyle Lowry. While many Lakers fans may not like the idea, the veteran guard can provide quite the boost for the team.

At 33-years-old, Lowry is exiting his prime but he still has plenty left in the tank. He is the leader on a Raptors team fighting in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. This season, Lowry made his fifth consecutive All-Star appearance, averaging 14.2 points, 8.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds.

In order to land Kyle Lowry, the Lakers will have to trade for him as he will be in the last year of his huge contract in 2020. Lowry is making $33 million this upcoming season. It will be a big contract for the Lakers to take on, but only for one season.

Making a trade for the gritty veteran won’t be hard with a team like the Lakers as they have many valuable assets. Realistic trade options in a trade package would be players like Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, and the fourth pick in this year’s draft.

Getting Lowry would be big for a number of reasons. Lowry has a ton of experience, particularly in the postseason. In 76 playoff games, he has averaged 15 points and 5.6 assists.

No key player on the Lakers has nearly the experience after LeBron James. Not only does he have a ton of playoff games under his belt, but he also has had some terrific performances before. An example of this was in the 2016 playoffs when Lowry had five games of at least 30 points.

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Lowry has some familiarity with James as well. The guard has faced a LeBron James led team for four straight seasons in the playoffs and has been eliminated each team. It will certainly be a breath of fresh air for him to join forces with the “king”.

On the floor, Lowry’s two biggest strengths are shooting and decision-making. Lowry is a career 37% 3-point shooter. Over the last four years, he has made at least 2.4 per game. The Lakers were 29th in the league in three-point shooting last season (33%). Lowry would instantly become the Lakers best shooter.

Lonzo Ball can learn a lot from Lowry who has had a terrific career. Lowry had an impressive 3.1 assist/turnover ratio. The 13-year veteran was second in the league in assists. While he isn’t the most athletic guard and lacks size (6″1), he is one of the leagues best at making the right play.

Defensively, Lowry is one of the most overlooked players in basketball. Constantly taking charges and deflecting passes is what he excels at. Despite being undersized, Lowry is a bull on the defensive end who refuses to take plays off.

Lowry averages 1.4 steals and led all guards in drawn charge calls. The Lakers can use as much defensive help as they can get. Last season they were 21st in defense (113.5 ppg).

On paper, many will say “he’s getting old” or “he disappears” in some playoff games. The reality is the Lakers can use a smart and savvy veteran like Kyle Lowry.