Kyle Lowry reacts to Kevin Durant trade rumors

On the VC Show with former NBA star Vince Carter recently, Miami guard Kyle Lowry broke his silence on the Heat’s interest in trading for Nets superstar Kevin Durant. Lowry’s name has been mentioned in various trade proposals. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium cited the Heat, among other teams, as a potential landing spot for Durant. 

“I understand it’s business,” Lowry said. 

The Grizzlies took Lowry with the No. 24 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, but they traded him to the Rockets in 2009. In 2012, the Raptors traded for him, and in 2019, he helped Toronto win its first NBA title. Last year, the Heat completed a sign-and-trade with the Raptors, inking Lowry to a three-year, $85 million contract.

Lowry's poor play play in last season's playoffs may have cost the Heat a title. In 10 games, he averaged 7.8 points in 10 games (the worst showing by any starting point guard) and shot 29.1 percent from the field. He missed eight playoff games because of a hamstring injury. 

On Monday, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel explained that all trades Lowry has been a part of in his career “came with his approval.” Lowry told Carter that he is not losing sleep over trade rumors. 

“How I handle it is I don’t pay attention to it,” he said. 

Lowry can have a bounce-back season  

After the season, Heat president Pat Riley, per ESPN, insinuated Lowry was not in the best shape during the season.

“[Y]ou got to be in world-class shape. You just have to be,” Riley said. “I do think that he can be in better shape next year.”

Lowry refused to use his nagging hamstring injury as an excuse for his poor performance: “It just adds fuel," he told Carter. "You don’t know how many more opportunities you will have to get back to this, so for me, honestly it was a waste of a year.”