Ujiri: 'No question' Raptors will look to re-sign Lowry

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Kyle Lowry will remain a member of the Toronto Raptors for next season and beyond.

Although there are questions to be raised about handing a maximum contract to a 31-year-old point guard, Raptors president Masai Ujiri has already worked out the calculus.

"You have to remember that, everything that has happened to this team in the last few years, Kyle has been at the forefront of that," Ujiri told Scott Stinson of the National Post.

As for the question of re-signing Lowry?

"No question," Ujiri said. "Before the injury, you could argue he was one of the top five players in the league this season."

Lowry holds a below-market-value player option worth $12 million that he'll inevitably turn down in favor of free agency. His stated preference before the season was to stay in Toronto, but only if the Raptors came correct with a worthwhile offer up front, much like how they treated fellow franchise cornerstone DeMar DeRozan last summer.

The three-time All-Star could earn a five-year maximum contract worth north of $200 million. His current rate of production easily justifies that cost, but age-related decline threatens to sour Lowry's value.

Further complicating matters is the Raptors' swollen cap sheet. With $77 million in guaranteed salaries already locked in for next season, Ujiri will also have to accommodate P.J. Tucker, Serge Ibaka, and perhaps Patrick Patterson within a budget that will likely exceed the luxury tax.

But the alternative would be to let an All-NBA level guard walk in free agency for nothing. The Raptors are built to compete right at this moment, and Lowry is critical to their playoff hopes. Both the floor and the ceiling are substantially lower without their lead guard.

Lowry is averaging 22.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.9 assists in what has been his fourth straight career season. Prior to his wrist injury, he was top five league-wide in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage.