Lowry will return to Raptors
When Kyle Lowry pondered all of his basketball options, he says he kept coming back to the same place, Toronto.
The three-time all-star point guard is re-signing with the Raptors, announcing his decision on Sunday in “The Players Tribune.” The 31-year-old reportedly signed a three-year deal worth $100 million US.
His decision, he wrote, is all about finishing what he started.
“It was up to me to decide whether this thing we have — is it worth sticking around for, and running it back again, and seeing if we can take that next step?” Lowry wrote. “And like I said — to me, that was an easy decision. The answer is yes. … And if you start something? Man, you finish it.”
The announcement was good news for the Raptors, who will also have Serge Ibaka next season. The Raptors and Ibaka agreed earlier in the day to a three-year worth $65 million US.
Lowry averaged 22.4 points and seven assists last season, but missed 21 games late in the regular season after undergoing wrist surgery. He returned for the final four regular-season games, but had little time to jell with newcomers Ibaka and P.J. Tucker, who were acquired at February’s trade deadline to boost Toronto’s chances at capturing the Eastern Conference.
“I don’t think we’ve reached our true potential,” Lowry wrote.
The Raptors beat Milwaukee in the opening round of the playoffs, but were swept by Cleveland in the conference semifinals.
“When I had to make my freeagency decision, there was a lot going through my head, a lot of roads my mind was travelling down,” Lowry wrote.
“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.”
The 31-yearold guard opted out of the final year of his contract in May, and said in the Raptors’ post-season news conference that he wanted to win a championship.
“I want a ring,” Lowry said. “That’s all that drives me. I want to just get better.
“I want to have fun, I want to win a ring.”
Paired up with DeMar DeRozan, who received a five-year deal worth $139 million US last offseason, the Raptors will continue to have one of the most formidable backcourts in the league.