Report: One major issue keeping Kyle Lowry from joining Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have made it no secret that they are looking for some additional backcourt support this offseason. Between Dennis Schroder’s imminent departure and the way the Phoenix Suns’ guards ran roughshod over L.A. in the playoffs, clearly this is an area of concern.

One name that has arisen over the past year as a potential Lakers target is Kyle Lowry.

This past season, an NBA Trade Deadline deal between LA and the Toronto Raptors centering around Lowry almost came together – only to fall apart at the last minute.

In recent weeks murmurs of Lowry coming to L.A. resurfaced once more, but there appears to be one major impediment this time around.

Lowry, now a free agent, wants to get paid more than what the Lakers can offer.

“There was some assumption from league sources that Lowry would be chasing a second ring in free agency,” reports Matt Moore of The Action Network. “But while playoff or prospective playoff teams make up the list of suitors, the new operating assumption is that money will be the deciding factor for Lowry. There will be no ring chasing under a minimum deal, in other words.”

So who is truly in the running for Lowry then? The New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, apparently.

“The Knicks are considering a one-year deal that would trump, the thinking goes, a multi-team offer in single-year salary,” Moore added. “The Mavericks are thought to be pursuing a two-year deal for Lowry.”

Barring something notable changing in Lowry’s mind or L.A. suddenly freeing up a bunch of money, there is no feasible scenario in which Lowry ends up in a Lakers uniform next season.

Fortunately, even though Lowry is unattainable, the Lakers have a very real pathway to a deal for Washington Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook.

Whether that’s a better or worse option for them is a matter of personal taste.