Home Basketball Second key NBA buyout market domino falls in contender’s swing… several big names remain on the board

Second key NBA buyout market domino falls in contender’s swing… several big names remain on the board

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Second key NBA buyout market domino falls in contender’s swing… several big names remain on the board

An NBA championship-winning veteran guard has been scooped up by one of the big Eastern Conference contenders.

Charlotte Hornets guard Kyle Lowry — who was one of the leaders on the Toronto Raptors’ NBA title-winning team — agreed to a contract buyout Saturday night, clearing the way for him to sign for the rest of the season with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN.

Once the six-time All-Star guard clears waivers in the coming days, he will sign a $2.8 million deal with the Sixers, according to the report.

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The 37-year-old veteran, who is an alumnus of Cardinal Dougherty High School and Villanova University, has long hoped to play for his hometown 76ers.

In an added bonus for Lowry, he will be reunited with Nick Nurse, who coached him in Toronto when the duo teamed up to win the NBA title in 2019.

Lowry has signed with the 76ers (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Lowry has signed with the 76ers (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS

The 76ers, who also acquired guard Buddy Hield before the NBA trade deadline, are hoping Lowry can help them stay in solid playoff shape until the eventual return of MVP centre Joel Embiid, who is out for several weeks after undergoing left knee surgery.

The 76ers, who beat the Wizards, 119-113, on Saturday, are 31-21 and are the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, 1 ¹/₂ games behind the banged-up Knicks, who lost to the Pacers.

Lowry, who was with the Miami Heat at the beginning of the season, was only a Hornet for a brief time.

He landed with Charlotte as part of the Terry Rozier trade last month from Miami, and both Charlotte and Lowry agreed that he would sit out until after the trade deadline.

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He had $10.6 million left on his $29.7 million deal for 2023-2024 before the buyout with Hornets.

The news comes just days after the Lakers signed Spencer Dinwiddie after the guard was waived by the Toronto Raptors following his trade from Brooklyn, with he and Lowry two of the biggest names to move via the buyout market.

It leaves Marcus Morris Sr., Danilo Gallinari, Killian Hayes, Thaddeus Young, Danuel House, Joe Harris and Robin Lopez as other veterans to monitor that could be signed on the open market after being let go by their teams.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on the likes of Seth Curry and Davis Bertans (both Charlotte Hornets), Cedi Osman (San Antonio Spurs), Evan Fournier (Detroit Pistons), Otto Porter Jr. (Washington) as other veterans who could be bought out by their current teams and become available.

-This story was originally published in The New York Post and reproduced with permission.

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