Another vet is set to return to the Philadelphia 76ers as the team reached an agreement with unofficial player-coach Kyle Lowry. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Philly native will sign a one-year veteran minimum deal to return to the Sixers.
Lowry, who will be entering his 39th season, won a championship with Nick Nurse as a member of the 2018-2019 Toronto Raptors and has served as a valued veteran voice in the locker room since joining his hometown.
Since being traded away from the Miami Heat and subsequently being bought out by the Charlotte Hornets, Lowry has been a member of the Sixers, joining them near the tail end of the 2023-2024 season. He then signed a new contract for the 2024-2025 season. In that span, the Philadelphia native has appeared in 58 regular-season games, starting 32 of them. He also started all six games in the 2023-2024 playoffs for the team, as well as in the Sixers’ eventual round one loss to the New York Knicks.
The veteran guard has long been one of the smartest and hardest-working players in the league, as evidenced by his six All-Star appearances. That being said, while his leadership cannot be quantified, Father Time is undefeated for a reason. Lowry struggled on the court last year, appearing in 35 games and recording 12 starts. In those games, he shot only 35.0% from the field and 33.0% from beyond the arc. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.7 assists per game.
While Lowry’s days as an All-Star guard are long gone, he still provides a stabilizing veteran presence both on and off the court for the Sixers, especially with how many young guards they have on the roster. With Yabusele’s departure, Lowry carries the added benefit of his familiarity with Nurse’s system, with Lowry functionally being another assistant coach on the court.
