Knicks Rumors: Kyle Lowry Contract Was on NY’s ‘List’ Before PG Joined 76ers

The New York Knicks pursued Kyle Lowry following his buyout with the Charlotte Hornets last season, Fred Katz reported for The Athletic.

“Lowry was on the Knicks’ list after a buyout with the Charlotte Hornets last winter, according to league sources, though he eventually signed with the 76ers,” Katz wrote.

During that time, Knicks guard Josh Hart was attempting to recruit Lowry, CBS Sports’ James Herbert reported in March.

“Yeah, I texted his ass,” Hart said, per Lowry. “I told him, ‘Pull up.’ Told him, ‘F–k with us.’ But, obviously, that didn’t happen, so f–k him.”

The Miami Heat traded Lowry to the Hornets on Jan. 23 as part of the deal that sent Terry Rozier to South Florida.

Lowry did not play a game in Charlotte before he agreed to a buyout and was waived by the Hornets on Jan. 11. He inked a one-year contract with the Sixers two days later.

Lowry, who turned 38 in March, has played 18 NBA seasons for teams including the Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Heat and 76ers.

That list very nearly included the Knicks, who came close to agreeing with the Raptors on a trade that would have sent Lowry to New York in 2013, per Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post.

Instead, Lowry remained in Toronto, where he helped the Raptors win the franchise’s first NBA title in 2019.

Lowry may no longer be the All-Star-caliber player he was with the Raptors, having averaged 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 23 appearances with the Sixers following his midseason signing.

But Lowry recently showed the Knicks what he is capable of when he put up 18 points in Game 1 of Philadelphia’s first-round series against New York. That performance could help encourage Knicks leadership to continue their pursuit of the veteran guard this summer.