Kyle Lowry Raptors
Photo: CBS Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers were reportedly in talks with the Toronto Raptors over a potential Kyle Lowry trade. However, the deal was reportedly not made, due to the reigning NBA champions not wanting to let got of Talen Horton-Tucker, who was wanted by the Raptors.

According to sports analyst Chris Broussard, the Lakers should have pulled the trigger and turned themselves into the ‘prohibited favorites’ in the Western Conference. He thinks that the team’s priority should be winning as many rings as possible with LeBron James on the roster instead of caring about future.

“I do think the Lakers missed an opportunity. They should have gotten Kyle Lowry. If indeed the rumors were true that they could’ve got Kyle Lowry for Schröder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the sticking point was them not wanting to throw in a 20-year-old Talen Horton-Tucker, they made a mistake,” Broussard said on First Things First. “If they get Kyle Lowry they’re the prohibited favorites in the West.”

According to him, it only makes sense if the Lakers do not believe they can win a championship this season due to LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis not fully recovering from injuries. “The only thing that justifies this in my view is if the Lakers know secretly that LeBron and AD or and/or AD are not likely to return a 100 percent this year and they think the window is closing on winning it this year. That’s it. That’s the only way,” Broussard concluded.