The Raptors re-sign Kyle Lowry and the Leafs pick up free agent Patrick Marleau.
‘ THIS WAS AN EASY DECISION,’ SAYS FORWARD; IBAKA ALSO STAYS AFTER INKING $65M DEAL
The Raptors will push forward with Kyle Lowry. The man who has powered Toronto’s unexpected rise from laughingstock to a perennial home court playoff team more than anybody else through his oncourt skills and relentless effort, has agreed in principle to a threeyear, US$100 million deal.
“For me, at the end of the day, this was an easy decision. And all of those roads … they all led me back to the same place: home. They all led me back to Toronto,” Lowry said on the Players’ Tribune website.
The Philadelphia native is the franchise leader in value over replacement player, box plus/minus (with Vince Carter ranking second in both categories) and win shares per 48 minutes. Lowry ranks third in win shares and player efficiency rating, second in steals per game.
In other words, he’s been incredible as a Raptor during regular season play, far exceeding even the highest of expectations from when he was originally acquired from Houston by Bryan Colangelo.
Later, Lowry was nearly dealt to New York by Masai Ujiri, shortly after his friend Rudy Gay was shipped out to Memphis and he would originally re- sign with the club three years ago after leading it back to the playoffs for the first time in years.
With a couple of exceptions, Lowry has not been close to the same dominant force in the postseason. Injuries have held him back. That’s where the three- year term plays into Toronto’s favour. Lowry had originally hoped for a five-year deal, but the point guard market cratered and his age and injury history likely also came into play. Toronto preferred the flexibility of three years over four at a lower annual salary, and a compromise was reached.
With Serge Ibaka also agreeing to a three-year deal on Sunday for $65 million, the Raptors will finally get to really see how Lowry and Ibaka pair together. Lowry’s injury coming right around when Ibaka was acquired and then an Ibaka ankle injury in the playoffs, meant they were never together with both at full strength.
Ujiri and his staff will now have to pare salary to avoid the luxury tax and to open up room to use the mid- level exception to make sure the squad stays competitive.
Ibaka is one of only 13 players in NBA history to make 100 3-pointers and record 100 blocks in the same season; he did it last season, along with Karl- Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis and Brook Lopez.
Ibaka was acquired in exchange for Terrence Ross and a first-round draft pick — a big price that would have looked even bigger if the Raptors had lost Ibaka for nothing this summer.
Entering his ninth NBA season, Ibaka has career averages of 12 points and 7.3 rebounds. Ibaka spent his first seven NBA sea- sons in Oklahoma City, helping the Thunder reach the 2012 NBA Finals against Miami.
Meanwhile, the Rapors have tried to get rid of DeMarre Carroll’s contract, because Toronto is now in the luxury tax hit with Lowry’s return.
Cory Joseph has also been offered, but he doesn’t make as much as Valanciunas or Carroll, who also have longer contracts (which would solve tax problems for more than just this coming season).
If Valanciunas does get traded, it’s unclear who would replace Ibaka at power forward. P. J. Tucker signed with Houston instead of coming back, Patrick Patterson is expected to sign elsewhere, Pascal Siakam is not yet ready for that kind of a role and Jakob Poeltl and Lucas Nogueira are centres.
Meanwhile, the West has powered up and several big names remain up for grabs through the start of the NBA’s free agency period.
Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap, George Hill, Otto Porter, Danilo Gallinari, Dion Waiters, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and Patrick Patterson are some of the bigger names still available ( for now).
A quick rundown:
❚ Blake Griffin stays with Los Angeles — the Clippers couldn’t lose both Paul and Griffin and gave the former No. 1 pick, who has a history of injury issues, five years and nearly $200 million. ❚ Stephen Curry signs richest deal in history — the two- time MVP got five years and $201 million after being underpaid for years. The Warriors also paid up to retain Andre Iguodala, David West and Shaun Livingston and Kevin Durant will follow suit. ❚ Jrue Holiday got paid — his past injury woes didn’t scare off New Orleans. The Pelicans kept him around long-term with an offer of $126 million over five years. ❚ Jeff Teague signed with Minnesota — the Wolves add a muchneeded shooter who should fit in well, for three years and $ 57 million. ❚ Serge Ibaka stays — the Raptors managed to convince February’s big trade acquisition to stick around for three years. He’ll likely move to centre full-time, where he is best suited. Three years and $65 million. ❚ P. J. Tucker goes — Tucker turned down a similar offer to stay with the Raptors to join the Houston powerhouse. Four years and $ 32 million got it done. ❚ J. J. Redick trusts the process — Philadelphia gave the veteran shooter $ 23 million for a single season. ❚ Taj Gibson reunites with Minny friends — Gibson rejoins pals Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau. He’ll bring a strong defensive bent and veteran smarts beside KarlAnthony Towns. Two years, $ 28 million.
THOSE ROADS ALL LED ME BACK TO THE SAME PLACE: HOME.