The Toronto Raptors were mentioned in trade rumors last year with Kyle Lowry and now that he is signed to a deal, GM Masai Ujiri came out to say that he is not trading the point guard, but heading into the season the Raptors could look at other deals, including with the Knicks for Iman Shumpert, as he is set to be a restricted free agent and the Knicks have not yet had any talks with him regarding a contract.
Last season the Knicks and other teams were like vultures on Lowry, but Ujiri stuck tight and did not trade him. The Raptors won the division and made it into the playoffs and now they have Lowry long term, so that looks like the right move. But Ujiri once traded Nene after signing a deal with the Nuggets, so some have wondered whether he will do the same with Lowry. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the answer to that question is no.
Ujiri came out ahead of the start of the preseason and said that he is not trading Lowry and that obviously is good news for Raptors fans. Last season Lowry was one of the best young players in the league and that is why he was signed to a long term deal. Lowry could have went elsewhere and played for a bigger name team, but he stayed with the Raptors and now they return a very talented team to the eastern conference mix.
Based on the deal Lowry can't be traded until January anyway, so that would put a thorn in any deal before that, but clearly that is not an issue. Ujiri has made many trades while with the Raptors and Nuggets and his move with Rudy Gay last season looked like a tanking move, but went into the totally opposite direction. The Raptors can be a surprise team in the east this season and it comes after Lowry was linked to many teams last year, including the Nets, Knicks, Lakers and Warriors.
The Knicks have Iman Shumpert and the Raptors actually could be an interesting option if the team wants to make a deal this season. It's purely speculative, but the Raptors could be looking to make moves this season and the Knicks, while they aren't shopping Shumpert, have him headed towards restricted free agency and so far no deal has been agreed on. ESPN.com reports that the team may wait to sign Shumpert to keep money off the books, but there is also a chance they could trade him.
