33-year-old Toronto Raptors Point Guard Kyle Lowry is looking to safeguard his future with representation from Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports. Lowry was previously represented by Andy Miller of ASM Sports. Miller has since emerged as one of the main suspects in the FBI’s college basketball corruption investigation, making Lowry’s departure an expected one. Priority Sports’ agents have been able to secure historically lucrative contracts for their clients in recent years and will now look to do the same for Lowry. They were behind the four-year, $130 million Gordon Hayward Celtics deal, as well as the five-year, $127 million Bradley Beal contract extension.
Lowry has just one year remaining on his three-year, $100 million contract, making 2020 a significant year for him. Coming off a Larry O’Brien Trophy season, Kyle is certainly due for a large payday. Yet, at 33 years of age, this payday poses the potential to be the final one, or at least his last significant one. No one can question the defensive prowess, ball distribution skills, and leadership abilities of the 5x NBA All-Star. There are questions, however, surrounding the state of the team he plays for.
With their championship centerpiece heading back home to Los Angeles, the Raptors look like a fringe playoff team on paper. They could surprise basketball fans and make a run in the shallow Eastern Conference. If they don’t, expect the fearless executive Masai Ujiri to explore any and all options to foster future success for his franchise. That could entail the parting of ways with aging veterans and impending free agents; Lowry would qualify as both.
The comfort and consistency Kyle Lowry has been able to harness in Toronto will be hard to replicate if he is moved during the season. He is an unrestricted free agent next summer, meaning he will have free will to choose who to sign with regardless of any in-season trade. It is unlikely the Raptors will be interested in a reunion, with the heir apparent Fred VanVleet improving rapidly. If there was ever a time for Lowry to ensure he is represented by those he trusts and believes in, it is now. Mark Bartelstein and Priority Sports face a considerable task at hand with 2020 being one of the most decisive years of Kyle’s professional career.
