Kyle Lowry Reportedly Has 76ers Interest, Team Planning Contract Offer

The Philadelphia 76ers and impending free-agent point guard Kyle Lowry continue to be linked, with Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writing Wednesday that the sides share mutual interest:

"Sources have said the North Philly native has been interested in playing for the Sixers for some time. The speculation only heightened once Bryan Colangelo became the president of basketball operations in April 2016. As the Raptors general manager, Colangelo acquired Lowry in a trade from the Houston Rockets on July 11, 2012. The two have remained good friends since then."

"And sources have always said that the Sixers planned to offer Lowry a lucrative contract this summer."

Zach Lowe of ESPN.com also noted on Sunday that "Lowry's a prickly, proud dude, and he will have suitors—including his hometown Sixers."

But are the Sixers and Lowry actually the right fit?

While Philly has a wealth of cap space and at some point will need to add veterans around a young core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric and Robert Covington, it's fair to question if doing so at this point is the smart move. The Sixers haven't even seen how Simmons will handle being the primary facilitator in their offense, so pairing him with a veteran distributor in Lowry could make for an awkward transition.

Additionally, by the time players like Embiid and Simmons are in their primes, Lowry will be out of his. Does giving a max contract to a player such as Lowry, who could help get the Sixers to the postseason but likely never a title, make sense? Would it be worth it if it risks stymieing the development of a player such as Simmons in the team's offense?

This may all end up being a moot point, of course. If the Sixers land a top-two pick at this year's NBA draft, they'll almost assuredly select either Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball. Signing Lowry, then, would be redundant and would certainly slow the development of either Fultz or Ball. 

Sixers writer Derek Bodner made that case:

But for the moment, Lowry and the Sixers continue to be linked. Should the Sixers fail to land a point guard in this year's NBA draft, it will be fascinating to see if Lowry signs with his hometown team.