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Kyle Lowry Rumors: Pelicans Were Willing to Offer PG $90M; Mavs Finished 2nd to Heat
August 9, 2021
As arguably the top free-agent guard this offseason, Kyle Lowry had plenty of suitors before the Miami Heat completed a sign-and-trade for the former Toronto Raptors star.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Lowry was "intrigued" by playing for the Dallas Mavericks—the runner-up to sign him, per Jackson—while the New Orleans Pelicans were willing to pay $90 million over three or more years to land the guard.
Lowry instead signed for three years and $85 million to team up with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in South Beach.
It's unclear how much money the Mavericks offered Lowry, but the team backed away from negotiations once it became clear the Heat were the front-runners, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.
Lowry told reporters Friday he decided on Miami after being recruited by Butler.
"Jimmy and I go back a ways," he said. "Me and Jimmy, we talked about this for a long time now. He continued to chirp about it. He was really on me about coming to the Heat."
Both the Mavs' and Pels' offseason plans appeared to change quickly. After missing out on Lowry, Dallas re-signed shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year deal. The club is also interested in a sign-and-trade for restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen, per The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor.
New Orleans completed a sign-and-trade to send Lonzo Ball to the Chicago Bulls for a package that included guard Tomas Satoransky and forward Garrett Temple. The Pelicans then replaced Ball by agreeing to a sign-and-trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Devonte' Graham on a four-year, $47 million deal.
None of those options alone can make up for missing out on Lowry.
Rather than join Luka Doncic or Zion Williamson to compete in the Western Conference, Lowry chose to stay in the East and work his way back to the NBA Finals with a Heat club that advanced to the championship series in 2020.