Kyle Lowry Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Love, Defense, Trade Deadline, Zeller

March 27th, 2023 at 5:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

When veteran power forward Kevin Love signed with the Heat off the buyout market, he was hoping to help the team avoid the East’s play-in tournament bracket by securing a top-six seed, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

A member of the eighth-seeded Cavaliers last season, Love’s team lost two consecutive play-in contests and missed out on the actual playoffs. After being squeezed out of Cleveland’s lineup this year, he negotiated a buyout to join Miami, optimistic his new team could skip the play-in process.

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity, the opportunity to play,” Love told Winderman. “Because in Cleveland I don’t know if that would have been the case… So I wish I had more time… But, again, every game is huge for us at this point. So trying not too hard to put too much pressure on myself or press too hard. But we do need to win basketball games.”

Miami is currently in a dead heat with the Nets for the No. 6 seed — both teams are 40-35.

There’s more out of Miami:

Heat players are aware that the team, which had a top-five defensive rating through the All-Star break, has had one of the NBA’s worst defenses in the 16 games following said break, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I say the lack of communication when we get fatigued [is to blame for the lapse],” opined Bam Adebayo. “I feel like that’s the big momentum shift — when guys get fatigued, we stop talking. It hurts us because we expect guys to be in certain places and we’re not.”
Beyond moving off the contract of center Dewayne Dedmon, the Heat had a fairly quiet trade deadline. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald explains that the team did have offers from other teams to take on some its costlier salaries, presumably for veterans Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson, but rival clubs wanted Miami to offload first-round picks in any such exchange. The Heat were unwilling to do so.
Heat reserve center Cody Zeller, another veteran buyout market addition, appears set to return to action on Tuesday against the Raptors, Chiang reports (Twitter link). A broken nose has held Zeller out of the club’s previous six contests.

Heat Notes: Lowry, Oladipo, Love, Zeller, Haslem

March 24th, 2023 at 7:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra recently raved about Kyle Lowry‘s performance in a new role off the bench after the veteran guard returned from a nagging knee injury that sidelined him for 15 games, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I think that month of really dedicating himself to getting healthy, getting his leg right, has paid a lot of dividends,” Spoelstra said. “In the minutes that we’re playing him right now, he looks fantastic. And then we’ll just continue to monitor him and we’ll see when we can take the next step.”

As Winderman notes, Lowry has averaged 10.0 points, 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds on .586/.579/.833 shooting in five games (24.9 minutes per night) since he returned. The Heat have gone 4-1 in those contests. Lowry is officially listed as questionable for Saturday’s important matchup with Brooklyn, Winderman adds.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Lowry might not be starting, but he has played the entire fourth quarter in each of the past two games, both victories, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscriber link). “Just getting us in sets, slowing us down, getting us to cohesive triggers and he’s being so vocal right now,” Adebayo said of Lowry’s value. “It’s vital for our team. It’s the end of the year. He had some time off, so I feel like he’s really fresh. It’s good to have a fresh Kyle Lowry out there.”
Victor Oladipo has been a healthy scratch in three of the past four games — the one game he played was when Lowry sat out the front end of a back-to-back. He says the role reduction caught him off guard, but he’s trying to stay positive and be ready when called upon, Chiang writes in another story. “I wish I could answer,” Oladipo said of his reduced role. “It’s not something I’m used to. So I’m not really sure how to go about it. Like I said, I’m just focused on improvement and getting better.”
The Heat will only have Non-Bird rights on veteran big men Kevin Love and Cody Zeller, but that might be enough to bring them back without using their taxpayer mid-level exception, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat could offer up to 120% of their current salaries, which would be about $3.7MM for Love and $3.4MM for Zeller, with the veteran’s minimum for both players projected to be worth $3.1MM, Jackson notes. Miami used its biannual exception to sign Love, so it will not be available in 2023/24.
Couper Moorhead of Heat.com takes an in-depth look at the 20-year career of big man Udonis Haslem, sharing stories from teammates, staff members and coaches. The 42-year-old is retiring at the end of the season.

Southeast Notes: Lowry, Robinson, Clifford, Davis

March 18th, 2023 at 10:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat are trying to manage Kyle Lowry‘s knee issues and he’s trying to adjust to a second-unit role. Erik Spoelstra is seeing some benefits from Lowry coming off the bench, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes.

“We’re trying to figure this out, and it’s really more of a health issue than it is a performance issue or even strategy concern,” the Heat coach said. “Want to make sure that he continues to feel good and then we can hopefully scale more minutes. But what we saw the other night was one of those great benefits and luxuries of having a Hall of Fame point guard be able to organize that group.”

Lowry has averaged 19.5 minutes the last two games. The Heat have listed him as questionable for their game against Chicago on Saturday.

We have more Southeast Division tidbits:

Restoring Duncan Robinson to the Heat rotation is unlikely at this point, as Winderman explains in his latest mailbag. Robinson’s best shot at minutes would be to have Kevin Love and Gabe Vincent removed from the rotation, since Max Strus and Victor Oladipo are also fighting for playing time.
The Hornets have won only 22 games and they’re currently on a four-game losing streak, but coach Steve Clifford is still riding his players hard and warning them to not mentally check out the rest of the way, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer reports. “I want us to try to play to win,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of individual messaging with guys about what they can concentrate on. I don’t want to just play it out. I don’t want to do that. I don’t think that’s smart to do.” Clifford’s status beyond this season is questionable with Michael Jordan looking to sell his stake in the franchise.
Lottery pick Johnny Davis hasn’t impacted the Wizards’ season but he’s received some notable playing time in the last two games. He enjoyed his best game of the season against Detroit with 11 points and five rebounds in a 19-minute stint, Josh Robbins of The Athletic notes. “He’s just kind of found a rhythm on the court, off the court (and with) NBA life,” Corey Kispert said. “It’s all hard to adjust to. He kind of settled into his daily routine. When your headspace is right off the floor, then your game just kind of follows.”

Southeast Notes: Richards, Carter, Lowry, Yurtseven

March 12th, 2023 at 3:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Hornets center Nick Richards has enjoyed a career year in Charlotte, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Boone wonders if Richards, who is eligible for restricted free agency this summer, has carved out enough of a role to warrant consideration as a long-term member of the rebuilding club’s roster. Richards is averaging a career-best 7.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 1.0 BPG this season.

“I’m just trying to be more consistent,” Richards said of his improvement this season. “I’m just getting as many blocks as possible, getting as many rebounds as possible. That’s my job, that’s what I’m here for. So, I’ve just got to do it to the best of my ability.”

Boone tweets that Richards will most likely earn another start tonight, as nominal starter Mark Williams is considered doubtful to play through a right thumb sprain.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

In his first contest back with the Magic following a three-game absence, a big overtime victory over the Heat, starting center Wendell Carter Jr. helped galvanize his team, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. The 6’10” big man scored 27 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in Orlando’s 126-114 win. Price notes that the Magic’s defensive efficiency suffered mightily with Carter sidelined.
After being sidelined for 15 straight games with a sore knee, Heat point guard Kyle Lowry played off the bench for the first time since January 2013 in Saturday’s loss to Orlando, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (subscriber link). Gabe Vincent drew the start. Lowry is adjusting to the change, having started for 677 consecutive games. “At this point, I know in my heart I’m a starter,” Lowry said. “(Head coach Erik Spoelstra) and I talked and he wants to make sure I’m healthy and not have to change the lineup again and change the rotation. Great communicator he is, great coach he is, I respect (that).”
Heat reserve center Omer Yurtseven made his first appearance this season after Cody Zeller broke his nose and had to depart the Magic game, Jackson adds. Yurtseven, a restricted free agent this summer, had just one rebound, one missed shot, and a foul in seven minutes.

Eastern Notes: Lowry, Martin, Robinson, Ivey, Bitadze

March 11th, 2023 at 4:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Kyle Lowry‘s teammates are thrilled to have him back with the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The veteran point guard has been sidelined for the past 15 games due to left knee soreness, but he was upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s contest in Orlando and is expected to play tonight, Chiang adds.

“That’s my brother. I’m glad to have him back,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said of of Lowry. “He’s going to change the game in so many ways for this team. He’s going to help us get in a groove, he’s going to help us win some games down the stretch moving into the most important part of the season.”

As forward Caleb Martin notes, the Heat haven’t had their whole roster healthy for the grand majority of the season, so he’s looking forward to seeing what they can do.

“I just want to have everybody healthy and available, and figure out where we’re going, who is going to be doing what and what roles,” Martin said when asked about Lowry’s return. “The more time we spend together as a whole, it’s going to be better for everybody. I just love when everybody is available to play and I love when everybody is healthy.”

Unfortunately, Martin was later ruled out for Saturday’s matchup due to knee soreness, according to Chiang. He hadn’t missed a game since January 14.

Here’s more from the East:

Heat swingman Duncan Robinson has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will be out for Saturday’s matchup with Orlando, Chiang relays in the same story. He didn’t play in Friday’s victory over Cleveland due to an illness, which was presumably later discovered to be COVID-19.
Pistons guard Jaden Ivey has also entered the health and safety protocols, per Alberto De Roa of HoopsHype. He will at minimum be sidelined for Saturday’s game against Indiana. Last year’s No. 5 overall pick is averaging 15.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 4.9 APG on .415/.331/.732 shooting through 62 games (30.2 MPG) as a rookie for Detroit.
Goga Bitadze signed with the Magic as a free agent last month after he was released by Indiana. The fourth-year center has played limited minutes with his new club, but he’s taking advantage of his opportunities on the offensive glass, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). “They make it easy for me to adjust,” Bitadze said. “Whatever coach (Jamahl Mosley) wants me to do, I’m going to go out there and do it.” The fourth-year center is averaging 5.6 PPG and 4.6 RPG (2.0 ORB) in 12.2 MPG through five games with the Magic.

Kyle Lowry Expected To Return On Saturday

March 10th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat point guard Kyle Lowry is traveling with the team and is expected to return to action on Saturday in Orlando, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Lowry has been battling left knee soreness, having last played on February 2. He has missed the past 15 games as a result of the injury, with Miami going 7-8 over that span.

The Heat reportedly dangled Lowry in trade talks ahead of last month’s deadline, but were unable to find any takers due to the combination of his age (he turns 37 in a couple weeks), large contract ($28.33MM this season, $29.68MM in 2023/24), and health problems.

A six-time All-Star and 2019 NBA champion with the Raptors, Lowry has seen his production drop off in ’22/23, likely in part due to his knee issue. He’s averaging 12.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.3 APG and 1.1 SPG on .396/.333/.855 shooting through 44 games (33.3 MPG).

It’s unclear if Lowry will immediately reclaim his spot in the starting lineup; Gabe Vincent had been starting in his place. The 17-year veteran has started every game in his first two years with the Heat and hasn’t come off the bench since the ’12/13 season, but it’s reasonable to assume he might be on a minutes restriction after a lengthy absence.

Lowry’s return comes at a critical time for the Heat, as they’re fighting for a top-six seed and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. After beating Cleveland on Friday, they’re currently 36-32, the No. 7 seed in the East.

Injury Notes: Zion, Towns, Lowry, Love, Doncic

March 8th, 2023 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson remains sidelined indefinitely due to a right hamstring strain, and it doesn’t appear his return is imminent, Brian Windhorst of ESPN stated on the latest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast.

“He’s not close, I don’t think,” Windhorst said. “… I think his setback was significant, and so now you’re worried about a worse setback, so you’re going to be doubly cautious.”

While fellow ESPN reporter Marc J. Spears openly wondered whether Williamson might just be done for the season, Windhorst declined to go that far.

Still, with just four-and-a-half weeks left until the Pelicans’ regular season finale, time is running out for the star forward to return to action and make a meaningful impact in the playoff race. He hasn’t suited up for New Orleans since January 2.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

After indicating on Tuesday that there’s no timetable for Karl-Anthony Towns‘ return, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch provided another update on Wednesday, telling Paul Allen on KFAN in Minnesota that Towns is set to take another step forward in his rehab. “Today he’s going to have some live activity on the floor, the first time in forever,” Finch said (Twitter link via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic). “Some controlled, live action on the floor. I know he’s looking forward to that.”
Heat guard Kyle Lowry will miss his 14th consecutive game due to left knee soreness when Miami hosts the Cavaliers on Wednesday, but there’s still optimism he’ll return before the end of the season, and perhaps even within the next week, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. In other Heat injury news, Kevin Love (right rib contusion) has been upgraded to probable, so there’s a good chance he’ll be available to face his old team on Wednesday.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who has missed a few games due to minor injuries this season, hasn’t played in both ends of a back-to-back set since mid-November. However, after logging 34 minutes on Tuesday vs. Utah, he’s not on Dallas’ injury report for Wednesday’s contest in New Orleans, so he should be available, tweets ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

Erik Spoelstra Won’t Commit To Kyle Lowry’s Return

March 4th, 2023 at 7:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Meeting with reporters before Saturday’s game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra refused to say whether he expects Kyle Lowry to play again before the end of the regular season, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Spoelstra added that Lowry continues to make progress with the soreness in his left knee that has now caused him to miss 12 consecutive games. The 36-year-old point guard was able to practice with the team last weekend, but he hasn’t played since February 2.

Lowry, who’s appeared in 44 games this season, has experienced a sharp decline in his production since signing with Miami two years ago. In 107 total games with the Heat, the six-time All-Star is averaging just 12.8 points and 6.6 assists per night and he’s in the midst of the worst shooting season of his 17-year career, hitting 39.6% from the field and 33.3% on three-pointers.

Lowry still has one season left on the three-year, $85MM contract he signed as a free agent in the summer of 2021. He’ll make $29.68MM next season before reaching free agency again in 2024.

Miami reportedly explored the trade market for Lowry before last month’s deadline, but found little to no interest because of his age, contract and injury woes. The Heat may try again to find a taker this summer in the hopes of getting Lowry’s salary removed from next season’s cap.

Heat Notes: Lowry, Dragic, Jovic, Yurtseven

March 1st, 2023 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Kyle Lowry will miss his 10th straight game Wednesday due to knee soreness, but the Heat haven’t been aggressively pursuing another point guard in the buyout market, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Lowry was flown to Philadelphia on Sunday and took part in a practice in hopes of playing Monday. He was briefly upgraded to questionable before being ruled out.

Jackson cites several factors for the team’s lack of urgency to find a replacement for Lowry, even with Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Reggie Jackson all receiving buyouts and John Wall still on the market. Heat officials remain confident that Lowry will eventually return and can still play at a high level, and they’re happy with how Gabe Vincent has performed in his absence.

Miami also believed it had greater needs in the frontcourt, Jackson notes, which is why Kevin Love and Cody Zeller were prioritized on the buyout market. The front office looked into Westbrook, a source tells Jackson, but decided not to pursue him due to deficiencies on defense and with three-point shooting, as well as a negative review from a league insider.

Jackson hears that the Heat also had interest in Kyrie Irving when he asked the Nets for a trade, but management wasn’t unanimous in believing he would be a good addition. Miami never aggressively pursued a deal with Brooklyn, according to Jackson’s sources.

There’s more from Miami:

Longtime Heat point guard Goran Dragic may seem like an obvious target after being waived by the Bulls Tuesday, but Jackson doesn’t expect him to wind up in Miami. He and the team still have a good relationship, but sources tell Jackson there are more likely destinations, including the Mavericks, where he could team with fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic.
After falling into seventh place during a recent losing streak, the Heat will open a crucial six-game home stand Wednesday as they try to avoid the play-in tournament, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. It’s not a position the team expected to be in, but Udonis Haslem said players are focused on landing a top-six spot. “I don’t operate well in losing spaces. I’m tired of losing like Jimmy (Butler),” Haslem said. “We just got to keep fighting, though. We got a locker room full of fighters, we got a locker room full of guys who have built their reputation off hard work and they wouldn’t be here without that. So we got to go back to our roots and what got us here — busting our [butt] and working hard.”
The Heat have assigned Nikola Jovic and Omer Yurtseven to their G League affiliate as they try to return from injuries, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jovic has been sidelined since late December with a back injury, while Yurtseven is rehabbing from ankle surgery that has kept him out all season.

Heat Notes: Lowry, Love, Haslem, Cain

February 27th, 2023 at 7:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat guard Kyle Lowry missed his ninth consecutive game on Monday night due to left knee soreness but coach Erik Spoelstra provided an encouraging update, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Lowry had been listed as questionable to play before being ruled out.

“I didn’t need that. I didn’t even see that he got upgraded,” Spoelstra said. “That’s more training staff and league-related just to cover yourself. I’m more encouraged just by the work he has been able to do the last 10 days. He’s definitely making progress. I don’t have a timetable for his return. But he’s certainly doing a lot more.”

We have more from the Heat:

By using their bi-annual exception to secure Kevin Love‘s services as a free agent, the Heat have put themselves in a slightly better position to re-sign him this summer, John Hollinger of The Athletic notes. They can now give him a 20% raise on that amount (up to $3.7MM) to re-sign him as a non-Bird free agent without using any other exception money.
When he finally retires, Udonis Haslem will explore becoming a minority owner of the Heat and remaining active in the team’s daily doings, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. “My commitment, even though I’ll be retired, is to be here just as much as the players and the staff and be committed to the process of the future and winning,” he said. “I look to take a path of ownership, but to be a working owner, not a guy who crosses his legs and sits on the sideline. I want to be a guy that connects the dots between the locker room and front office, connects the dots between the front office and the owners. Sometimes, you can miss things in those area.”
Two-way player Jamal Cain returned to the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce prior to Monday’s game, according to Chiang. Cain played five minutes against the Bucks on Friday in his first NBA appearance since mid-January.