NBA Rumors: Kyle Lowry ‘Very Available’; Raptors Looking To Trade Up For Kentucky Star

The Toronto Raptors reportedly are looking to trade into the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft, and they’re apparently willing to explore all possibilities in their quest to obtain a high pick.

Marc Stein of the New York Times tweeted the latest update on the Raptors’ quest for a first-round draft pick, which they want to use on Kentucky star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

What could the Raptors give up for such a pick? Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune reports Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry certainly is available.

Lowry, who’s 32 years old, averaged just 16.2 points per game last season — his lowest scoring average since the 2012-13 season. He’s clearly on the downside of his career and still has two more years left on a contract that pays him an average of about $32 million per season. That’s not a team-friendly deal, to say the least.

The Raptors and Miami Heat are the only two teams without a single pick ahead of Thursday night’s draft. They don’t really have any great assets in terms of players, either, besides 2017 first-round pick OG Anunoby. Star guard DeMar DeRozan, like Lowry, is on an expensive contract and fails to perform at a high level in the playoffs, and veteran forward Serge Ibaka’s best days clearly are behind him.

If the Raptors seriously want to trade up high enough to get Gilgeous-Alexander, they might have to get creative and bold to do it.