After nine years in Toronto, Kyle Lowry heading to Miami Heat on a three-year deal
Kyle Lowry #KyleLowry
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Veteran guard Kyle Lowry wants a shot at another NBA championship, and he is pinning those chances on the Miami Heat.
Lowry reached a three-year deal to join the Heat – and good friend Jimmy Butler – in free agency, a person familiar with the details told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until the deal is official.
The Lowry deal likely will be a sign-and-trade involving the Toronto Raptors and perhaps a third team. Lowry confirmed on Twihe is headed to the Heat.
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Lowry spent the past nine season with the Raptors and won a title with the franchise in 2019. At 35 years old and headed into his 17th NBA season, Lowry still has a lot to offer. Last season, he averaged 17.2 points, 7.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds and shot 39.6% on 3-pointers.
Now, he joins a Heat team that is a full season removed from losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals but with pieces to challenge again. Butler, Lowry and Bam Adebayo provide a trio in which the Heat can surround with talented players.
The Heat also reached a five-year, $90 million deal with restricted free-agent guard Duncan Robinson, and later this offseason, the Heat and Butler plan to nail down an extension for Butler that will pay him approximately $180 million.
The Heat were hampered by injuries and COVID-19 health and safety protocols last season. They finished 40-32, one game behind the fifth-place Atlanta Hawks, and lost to the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.
Lowry has had one of more rewarding careers of this NBA era. He began his career as a backup guard but continued to improve, working his way into the starting lineup in his fifth NBA season with the Houston Rockets. By the time the Raptors acquired Lowry in 2012, they were his third team in seven seasons.
But with Toronto, Lowry turned into a six-time All-Star, a 2015-16 All-NBA selection and an NBA champion.
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JefZillgitt.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After nine years in Toronto, Kyle Lowry heading to Miami Heat on a three-year deal