Kyle Lowry is being mentioned in several NBA trade rumors 2014 again, but the Toronto Raptors have no plan to trade their starting point guard at this point of the offseason.
Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri said in an interview with the Toronto Sun that they are not planning to use Lowry as trade bait, reiterating that he expects the playmaker to be with the team for the next several seasons.
Lowry was almost dealt before last season's trade deadline before the Raptors eventually decided to keep the 28-year-old forward - a decision that worked well for them as they managed to advance to playoffs last season.
Lowry became a free agent this summer. When the free agency period started, Ujiri admitted that they were unsure if they want to keep the veteran point guard before he eventually offered a four-year, $48 million deal to the former Villanova standout.
"I remember walking up to Dikembe Mutumbo in Basketball Without Borders when I took the job. He said to me, 'That guy you got, Kyle, he's really good. But he has to be a starter, though. He has to be a starter. He has to be running the show.' And I wondered what he meant," Ujiri said in an NBA trade rumors 2014 interview.
With Lowry's future in Toronto secured for the next four seasons, Ujiri believes that the Philadelphia native will manage to lead the Raptors again to another playoff stint in the upcoming season, saying that Lowry is ready to become a better leader to his teammates.
"He does have a presence," Ujiri added in the NBA trade rumors 2014 interview. "He plays hard. He has the edge. That's the honest truth - he does have an edge. You can call him what you want. He does this or he does that. He has the edge. And he wants to win. He's very competitive every single game."
Lowry, the 24th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2006 NBA Draft, had a breakout year last season when he averaged career-highs 17.9 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game.
