-
Tim BontempsESPN
Toronto Raptors defender Kyle Lowry doesn’t know where his future is after this season or after this year’s trading deadline. But he is sure of one thing: whenever his career ends, he will retire in Raptors uniform.
“Let me say this: I’m retiring as a Toronto Raptor,” Lori said after practicing Wednesday night at the start of the second half of the season in Tampa, Florida against the Atlanta Hawks.
Although Lori was unwilling to show commitment, when his contract expires this summer, he will return to Toronto as a free agent, or he will make it clear that he will be with the team that will pass the trade deadline in two weeks.
“What I want to see is to make this season as strong as possible,” Lori said.
“At the end of the day, myself, my agent, the organization, everyone has to do what is best for them, right? Everyone should do what is best for them, and that situation.
“Who knows what it is, right? Who knows what’s going on, who knows what time will tell? For me, I know I’m still playing at a good level where I helped the team. I can, I can help, and I can get better. “
Lori’s name has come up repeatedly in recent weeks as a potential trade target for the team. The Raptors have been sitting two games under the .500 since joining the best teams in the East for the past several years, and the trade market is flooded after many star players have changed teams this season or signed extensions with their current players. It may be the biggest impact player available.
That is, if the lorry is really available. Lori, as he has repeatedly done, praised the team’s young corps of Fred Wenwellet, Pascal Siakam, Oz Anunobi and Norman Powell for their growth.
But he did not elaborate further on his fate, in addition to carefully targeting a recent report that he told people he was leaving Toronto, something he said was not true.
“I don’t really go into that stuff, and it doesn’t bother me because rumors are rumors and it will always be,” Lori said. Lori said. “But when something is said that doesn’t come from me verbally and I don’t say anything, when it comes to saying, ‘Have you put me on record saying that? I know who the source is, because That source is me. ‘
“That’s the thing where you kind of defend yourself. I don’t really care about it. It’s just to defend me for a quick second.”
Lori, who averaged 1 point this season, .5. reb rebounds and 9. ass is supportive, he is still playing at a high enough level if he is a trader and can be a swing piece for a competitive team on deadlines to order heavy pay as a free agent. Whether or not he’s a merchant this summer.
Eventually, though, he insisted he didn’t know what would happen to the two front.
“For me, personally, whatever happens, we’ll see,” Lori said. “I don’t know. We don’t know. Like, honestly, I don’t know. If I can tell you, if I see a crystal ball, I can tell you, but I don’t know what the crystal ball says. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what they’re thinking, I’m thinking. We’ll just get to that point and find out from there. “
While the Raptors will be without some players – OneWallet, Siakam, Anunobi, Patrick McCuck and Malachi Flynn – due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, they will find former head coach Nick Nurse, who is already out of the all-team. Star break.
The nurse said that while he would definitely take up coaching against the Hawks, the five assistant coaches who were also with him in protocol were probably not able to join him in the game.
The nurse took time on Wednesday to defend herself and her coaching staff after a report came out last week that they were to blame for not following protocol.
“Oh, I guess I don’t think anyone would have an idea of what they’re talking about.” “It’s really inappropriate to say, it’s very speculative, unless you have video evidence of it, because I don’t think it’s too cool to say.
“I think our coaching staff has cut their asses and followed the best rules possible. It’s not easy … it’s hard for players to work, but they don’t wear masks. Referees have a hard time. Don’t wear masks Coaches have a hard job, and wearing masks is a little difficult.
“But I think we’ve gotten into an unfortunate race. It certainly wasn’t that we weren’t trying to follow the best protocols possible.”
.
