The Charlotte Hornets traded guard Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat in exchange for veteran Kyle Lowry along with a lottery-protected 2027 1st-round pick on Monday morning. This deal likely signals the start of a fire sale in Charlotte as it looks to trade its other veterans on the roster. The Hornets are reportedly looking to accumulate assets for the future to build around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
With the Hornets headed in that direction, they have no incentive to keep Lowry around for long. The point guard could very well find himself on the buyout market soon with control over which contender he could go next to pursue another NBA championship.
However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Hornets will look to explore the trade market for the 37-year-old. That might be a challenge for the Hornets, who must find a suitor willing to part ways with its assets to bring in Lowry’s $29.7 million price tag this season.
Nonetheless, it wouldn’t hurt the Hornets to go around the room and try to shop Lowry for whatever pieces they could get. It will be better than letting him go for nothing. With that said, here are some potential Kyle Lowry trade destinations should the Charlotte Hornets flip him.
A team that could use a veteran like Kyle Lowry is the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder, who have the second-youngest roster in the NBA, have taken a massive leap this 2023-24 season. Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rookie of the Year leader Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City has ascended the Western Conference ladder and currently holds the No. 2 seed in the standings.
But like with teams who broke out in the past, the Thunder still have skeptics who believe they are still some pieces away from truly contending. For one, they are an extremely young group that doesn’t have a ton of postseason experience. They’ve been terrific in the regular season, but the playoffs are a much different beast with the amount of pressure that goes with it.
