Heat Championship Odds Shorten to +2800 After Signing Kyle Lowry to 3-Year Deal

• Miami Heat land Kyle Lowry in sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors
• The Heat were swept in the first round last year
• Read below to see if the Heat are worth a wager for the NBA title

The Kyle Lowry era is over in Toronto.

His new team, the Miami Heat, are hoping his arrival in South Beach keeps keeps their championship window open.

While the details are still being settled, the Raptors agreed to sign-and-trade their franchise icon to the Heat for a player that’s yet to be named. Lowry’s deal is reportedly in the 3-year, $90 million range.

With Miami also re-signing Duncan Robinson to a 5-year, $90 million deal, and finalizing a max contract for Jimmy Butler, the Heat’s NBA Championship odds have jumped to +2800 from +3500.

2022 NBA Championship Odds

*Odds as of August 2 at DraftKings

He joins a Heat squad licking its wounds after an opening round sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, who went on to win the 2021 NBA title. Miami is also just  year removed from an NBA Finals appearance. Let’s see if there’s any value in a Heat bet for 2022.

Lowry Lands in Miami

Perhaps no team values culture more than the Heat, so adding Lowry to this mix will only add to that ethos.

The 6-foot guard from North Philly brings a dogged determination to the court, and even at age 35 is still considered a premier defender in the NBA.

Kyle Lowry as a raptor

-Nba champion
-6x All star
-All Nba 3rd team
-10,540 points
-2,954 Rebounds
-4,276 Assists
-874 Steals
-195 blocks
-601 games played
-20,813 minutes played
-3,376 shots
-2,270 ft made
-1,518 3 pointers made

Greatest Raptor Of All Time pic.twitter.com/DXzkUqSYWM

— Scottie Stan ⁶𓅓 ❄️ (@ScottieHours) August 2, 2021

He’s built a stellar rep through a 9-year run in Toronto, where he made the all-star team six times and was named to an all-NBA team, while always near the top of the leaderboard in charges drawn.

His best work was teaming with prized pickup Kawhi Leonard and a burgeoning young group of talents in Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam to lead the Raptors to a title in 2019.

Kyle Lowry, we will remember you 🎶 #GROAT pic.twitter.com/zFae9zwZkG

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) August 2, 2021

Lowry projects as a supercharged complimentary piece in Miami, with an offensive game that can step in to lead a team when needed, but will do whatever is necessary to win.

He finished last year averaging 17.2 points, 7.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds, while drilling 39.6% from deep — the third best mark of his 15-year career.

The Heat new squad:

Kyle Lowry
Duncan Robinson
Jimmy Butler
PJ Tucker
Bam Adebayo

6th man: Tyler Herro pic.twitter.com/qyzqjTARPo

— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 3, 2021

Durability might be a factor here. Lowry played just 46 games last season, battling nagging foot, back and thumb injuries. He’s surpassed 65 games played just twice in the last five years.

Not Easy in the East

As K-Low can attest to himself, the East is not easy. His situation changes slightly in Miami, with Butler slotted into the superstar role, Bam Adebayo as their defensive fort and elbow hub on offense.

.@ramonashelburne explains the Kyle Lowry sign and trade deal. pic.twitter.com/PYZGBJYp6T

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 2, 2021

They also have a nice young group around the stars, headlined by Tyler Herro, entering just his third year, Robinson, a sharpshooting specialist, and second-year big Precious Achiuwa.

But the conference is loaded: Brooklyn, assuming full health, is a heavy favorite to take the NBA title. Giannis Antetokounmpo is just getting to his prime, and the Bucks are already coming off a title year. The 76ers still have Joel Embiid, and whatever happens with the Ben Simmons situation.

Heat are not done prioritizing shooters to surround Butler, Adebayo and now Lowry, AP is told.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) August 2, 2021

And Lowry should definitely help a Heat team that looked a shell of themselves in these playoffs, where they scored just 98 points a game, shot 39.5% from the field and 33.6% from three. But their real level-up will be if Adebayo can improve his offensive game, as teams were daring him to shoot in the midrange, and he struggled mightily.

Worth the Wager?

With Lowry in the fold, this Miami team is going to return to that “not fun to play against” teams that sort of slipped away from them a year ago. The team reportedly also just signed PJ Tucker to a 2-year, $15 million deal, for added sandpaper and some extra shooting from the three-point corners.

They should be able to compete with the East heavies, and taking a flier on them at +2800 is not a bad wager. More shooting will always help, and Pat Riley is always looking to add to his roster. But as currently constructed, they’re slotted just about where they should be.