Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry had to be thrown for a loop when his team traded close friend DeMar DeRozan during the summer.
The two had built a strong relationship in the backcourt for a Raptors team that was winning 50-plus games on a consistent basis. When Lowry wouldn’t talk about the trade during the offseason, some openly wondered if he was upset with Toronto’s brass.
Now, according to this report from Josh Lewenberg of The Sports Network, sources close to the situation claim that Lowry avoided those in charge within the Raptors’ organization over the past several months.
“Of greater concern, per league sources, Lowry had also been dodging calls and texts from team officials, including president Masai Ujiri and new head coach Nick Nurse, who Lowry said he only spoke with briefly right after Nurse was promoted in June,” the report read.
Even more interesting, Lowry didn’t even talk to the newly-acquired Kawhi Leonard until media day on Monday.
Most figured the All-Star might want to get acquainted with his new teammate prior to the start of training camp. Obviously, that wasn’t important to Lowry.
“I’m here to do my job,” said Lowry on Monday. “One thing about me is I’ve always been prepared to come in and try to win a championship.”
There’s no guarantee Leonard will re-sign with Toronto once he hits free agency next summer. For his part, Lowry still is under contract for two more seasons.
This leads us to believe things could get contentious up north should Toronto struggle out of the gate next month. Lowry’s actions and words have not done a thing to dispel that notion.