Kyle Lowry expected to sign with Sixers, finally come home

Kyle Lowry expected to sign with Sixers, finally come home originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — Philly kid Kyle Lowry is set to come home.

Lowry’s not exactly a kid anymore — the six-time All-Star point guard will turn 38 years old next month — but he’s finally poised to join the Sixers.

A source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia on Saturday that Lowry, after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Hornets, is expected to sign with the Sixers. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news.

Lowry later announced the homecoming himself via Priority Sports, his agency:

Lowry’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, told Wojnarowski that the Villanova product will sign a rest-of-the-season deal for $2.8 million.

Fifteen years ago, Lowry was involved in the very first transaction of his NBA career when Daryl Morey acquired him from the Grizzlies. Along with Sixers president of basketball operations Morey, Lowry knows head coach Nick Nurse very well. Lowry was Nurse’s starting point guard on the championship-winning 2018-19 Raptors.

“Nick was the (Raptors assistant coach) I shot with, worked out with; he was in the system when I first got here,” Lowry told reporters in 2022. “So me and him had a great relationship prior to him even being the head coach. We always had this same type of mantra about winning … and trying to be innovative. Nick’s a friend of mine, and we got closer and closer. And as the years went on, we trusted each other more and more.”

The question of how much Lowry has left to contribute to an aspiring contender is clearly a big one. Though no longer at his All-Star peak, he’s still highly regarded for his intelligence, defensive obstinance, and pervasive toughness.

The Sixers will presumably hope Lowry can provide stabilizing backup point guard play behind Tyrese Maxey and give the team some good minutes next to the first-time All-Star as well. The Sixers sent Patrick Beverley to the Bucks before the trade deadline and added another veteran ball handler in Cameron Payne. It remains to be seen exactly how roles, minutes and ideal lineups will shake out.

That’s all complicated by the fact that reigning MVP center Joel Embiid is sidelined for at least the next several weeks after undergoing surgery on his injured left knee. The Sixers will still have two open roster spots once they officially sign Lowry, too.

Before the Heat sent him to the Hornets in their trade for Terry Rozier, Lowry played 37 games this year and averaged 28.0 minutes. He posted 8.2 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest.

Lowry has shot 38.5 percent from three-point range this season, although that figure dipped when he went 0 for 18 over his final five games with Miami. The last game Lowry appeared in was on Jan. 21.

Next time he takes the floor, it will be for his hometown squad.