The Toronto Raptors had a surprising run this season, and their impressive year could be attributed to Kyle Lowry's remarkable season.
But while Toronto fans are still feeling positive about their team despite a first-round playoff exit, the excitement could end quickly if the Raptors fail to re-sign Lowry in the offseason.
Lowry, who averaged career-highs 17.9 points and 7.4 assists per game during the 2013-14 NBA regular season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The 28-year-old point guard hinted that his priority is stay with the Raptors in the next several years and build from their success this season, but Lowry will have a difficult decision to make this offseason as several teams are expected to make a strong push to acquire him this summer.
According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, Lowry, who averaged 21.1 points to go along with 4.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds in the playoffs, is reportedly on the radar of big-market teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.
Lowry wants to stay in Toronto, but Kennedy pointed out that the playmaker's Raptors future depends on the team's willingness to offer a lucrative deal to the 28-year-old point guard.
"While it seems Lowry wants to stay in Toronto, his future with the Raptors will depend on how much money they are offering. He's 28 years old and has played on some relatively small contracts throughout his NBA career," Kennedy wrote.
Previous reports indicated that Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri is hesitant to offer a lucrative deal to Lowry, which was the reason why they considered trading the eight-year veteran before this season's trade deadline in February.
The Raptors opted to keep Lowry after the team improved their chances of making noise in the postseason, but it is unknown at this point whether or not Lowry did enough to convince the Raptors that he deserves a big-money deal.
"There were some reports during the season that suggested Toronto was hesitant to give Lowry a lucrative long-term deal. If that's the case, Lowry may go to a team that's willing to give him a big payday. At one point this season Toronto considered trading Lowry, but that was before the team went on a remarkable run," Lowry said.
Are the Raptors planning to keep Lowry? Or will they let him go and allow him to sign elsewhere?
