How the Kyle Lowry trade is paying off for Raptors

Gilbert McGregor

How the Kyle Lowry trade is paying off for Raptors image

While we're well into Year 2 of the post-Kyle Lowry era in Toronto, it somehow feels like the sign-and-trade that ended Lowry's run as Raptor happened just days ago. Such is the case when a franchise moves on from its greatest player of all time.

As Lowry gears up to take the Scotiabank Arena floor for the second time as a visiting member of the Heat, the feelings of nostalgia rush back as a reminder of how we got here today. There's no time like the present to take stock of how things have played out for the Raptors.

It's sometimes difficult to say who won or lost a trade in the moment. Sometimes, it's even difficult to say so seven months after the fact. Now, with over a full year of evidence to go off of, it's clear that the deal is paying off for the Raptors.

The emergence of Precious Achiuwa

Precious-Achiuwa-Getty-FTR
(NBAE via Getty Images)

Let's start with the trade return itself.

Back in August of 2021, the original sign-and-trade sent Achiuwa to the Raptors as well as veteran guard Goran Dragic. While the Dragic saga didn't exactly work out, he was packaged along with a first-round pick to bring in Thaddeus Young, a veteran who opted to stay in Toronto as a free agent in 2022.

While there were a number of moving parts for Toronto, the deal was about Achiuwa, who fits the Raptors' vision of having long, athletic, rangy players capable of doing multiple things on the floor. At 6-foot-8, Achiuwa is only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential, which should be a scary prospect for other teams.

A severe ankle sprain will keep Achiuwa off the floor when the Raptors play against his former team this time around, but when the two teams met for two games in Miami earlier in the season, Achiuwa registered back-to-back double-doubles, including a 22-rebound performance in a win on Oct. 24.

Through his first 85 games as a Raptor, Achiuwa is averaging 9.0 points and 6.6 rebounds largely in a reserve role. The efficiency has been lacking, but Achiuwa's production in the 2022-23 season (8.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game) has been solid. Still, many, including head coach Nick Nurse, feel like he could be playing better basketball, which says something about the franchise's belief in the young talent.

Given the fact that Achiuwa is only 23 years old and in his third NBA season, he shouldn't be expected to fill the Greatest-Raptor-of-All-Time-sized void left by Lowry, but the unknown ceiling of his potential makes the trade worthwhile.

MORE: What would a breakout season for Precious Achiuwa look like?

Kyle Lowry and Father Time

Kyle Lowry
(Getty Images)

As difficult as it was for Lowry and the Raptors to part ways, there's no doubt that 2021 was the right time to do so. With Lowry entering the twilight of his career, he needed to spend his final years in the league competing for an NBA title, something that the Raptors were years away from.

Lowry will turn 37 this season and is one of the league's elder statesmen, so it's understandable that his production has taken a slight hit. This season, Lowry's scoring and assist figures are at their lowest since his first season in Toronto when he spent a chunk of the season in a reserve role.

MORE: Why Kyle Lowry's return to All-Star form is East's biggest unknown

This is by no means meant to be a knock on Lowry. A part of the reason his production is down is that he is in a situation where less is needed from him during the regular season and he will be looked upon to help the team win 16 games in the postseason in order to capture a title.

That's where the concern lies.

In 2022, the Heat came within one win of the NBA Finals despite Lowry missing eight of the team's 18 playoff games due to injury. Lowry showed flashes of why Miami acquired him, including an 18-point, 10-assist double-double to force Game 7 in the East Finals, but on the whole, he clearly wasn't himself.

Lowry isn't getting any younger and what would have been asked of him in Toronto may have been too much of a load to bear. With Father Time looming, the move has benefitted each of the parties involved.

Handing the keys to Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet

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It sounds harsh, but it's much easier to pass off the titles of "franchise player" and "franchise point guard" when the predecessor has moved on. Lowry's departure made for a smooth transition to Siakam and VanVleet taking the keys to the franchise.

Two of four remaining members from Toronto's championship team in 2019, Siakam and VanVleet each entered the post-Lowry era with an awareness that they would now be the franchise's cornerstones. That Lowry's shadow wasn't around to cast doubt allowed them to come into the role freely.

In 2021-22, VanVleet became an All-Star and Siakam returned to All-NBA form. With Lowry gone, the two could no longer defer to the veteran that helped show them the ropes in the league.

In many ways, Lowry provided the duo of Siakam and VanVleet with the blueprint to lead the franchise in a manner that is similar, but different. It's evident in VanVleet's leadership and Siakam's poise.

Those two now pass that along to the next generation which includes Achiuwa, Scottie Barnes, Dalano Banton and Christian Koloko, among others.

Given the potential of Achiuwa, the regression of Lowry and the transition of power to Siakam and VanVleet, it's hard to say that the Raptors are not benefitting from the hardest deal they've ever had to complete.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.