Report: Heat are exploring Kyle Lowry trades

We are nearing the two-week mark ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA Trade Deadline, and Miami Heat veteran point guard Kyle Lowry could be on the move.

According to Anthony Chaing and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat is continuing to explore trade options for trading Lowry, who it recently benched after 41 games, ahead of the deadline.

“Veteran point guard Kyle Lowry fell out of the Miami Heat’s starting lineup in recent days, and more change could be coming for Lowry and the Heat,” Chiang wrote Monday. “The Heat continues to explore trades involving Lowry ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline, according to multiple league sources.”

Jackson confirmed Chaing’s reports Monday in a tweet, citing that the organization was “more open” to trading him than before.

They are more open to idea of dealing Lowry than previously. But a big component obviously is what player they get, willingness to give up first rounder etc. So whether trade happens remains to be seen. But it’s a discussion now internally

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) January 22, 2024

Lowry owns an expiring cap hit worth $29.7 million, an important piece that could be used to salary any trade for a player with a bigger contract–including Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Hornets guard Terry Rozier, both of whom have been previously linked to Miami in trade talks.

Lowry, 37, has started in his 35 games before recently getting moved to the bench for Caleb Martin. He’s currently averaging 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists on 42.6 percent shooting, including 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line this season.

Though he’s missed his last 18 3-point attempts, which has dipped his efficiency. The guard’s reluctancy to shoot–and inability to convert when he does–has hindered a Heat offense that ranks No. 20 in the NBA this season, including No. 28 over their last 10 games. It’s not the only problem, but it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.

Lowry hasn’t converted on more than three field goals since the turn of the calendar, making more than one on just once since Jan. 8. Lowry is still capable of initiating offense, but Martin, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic and Jimmy Butler, among others, initiate as much, if not more than Lowry does depending on who he’s playing with on the floor.

He has appeared in 155 regular season games with the Heat, including 142 starts. He’s averaged 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game on 42.5/36.7/85.2 shooting splits. He’s also experiencing the lowest usage rate of his career at 13.3 percent, over three percentage points lower than it was last year (16.7% USG%) and nearly five lower than it was in his first year with Miami (18.2%).

“I’m going with this right now,” Spoelstra said Sunday, according to Chaing. “I think this is an interesting direction and I’ll do whatever we feel like we have to do in this second half of the season.

“That’s not an indictment on one player. Kyle has been great as a starter and really impactful last year off the bench. So this really isn’t about him. This is about us trying to get to a higher level on both ends of the court, but also offensively. Combinations do matter, rotations do matter, lineups that bring out the best in each other do matter. And I’m still in the process of trying to help the team figure that out.”

Should the Miami Heat be exploring Kyle Lowry trades? And for what? Let us know in the comments below!