Kyle Lowry was in Las Vegas this week, taking part in the USA Basketball minicamp. Also in Las Vegas for the camp? DeMar DeRozan, Lowry’s former Raptors’ teammate who was traded recently to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard.
Just don’t ask Lowry about the DeRozan trade, he’s not discussing it. From the Associated Press, every time Lowry was asked about the trade he came back with some variant of this response.“It’s been a great week for USA Basketball for me,” he said. “Being out here with these guys and hanging out and getting to talk and hang out with these guys and hanging out with DeMar and all those guys, it’s been fun....
“I’m here for USA Basketball,” Lowry repeated. “It’s been a great week for USA Basketball.”
The week before Lowry was in Lake Tahoe for the American Century Championship golf tournament and NBC Sports Radio’s Dan Schwartzman asked Lowry about the possibility of the trade (it was just rumored at the time) and Lowry’s response was along the lines of “we players all know this is a business, and we know how to deal with it.”
You can’t blame Lowry for not wanting to touch this topic now. First, he and DeRozan are friends, so there is a personal side. Second, this trade has not played well with all segments of the Raptors’ fan base, who see the only star player who was ever loyal to the franchise and city getting shipped out of town. And finally, why say something that could alienate Leonard.
This is a no-win situation for Lowry. To quote the computer in Wargames, “the only winning move is not to play.”
