After the Raptors were swatted aside by the Cavs this evening, Marc Stein stirred the pot a bit by saying that rumors of Kyle Lowry possibly heading westward in free agency are growing in volume.

Lowry missed the final two games of the second round with a sprained ankle. He’s Toronto’s best player and is really the engine that drove the franchise up to relevancy following years in the gutter. It’s long been thought that the Raptors would be willing to offer him a max deal this offseason but a beating at the hands of a fully-engaged Cleveland squad now has people, Lowry allegedly among them, considering whether this Raptor core is worth keeping together. While the money and continuity (not to mention his tight friendship with DeMar DeRozan) should give Toronto an early leg up in the Lowry sweepstakes, it sounds like he’s mulling over a move away from the LeBron-dominated East. He’d have to contend with the Warriors out West, but there are a number of teams who would be more than willing to clear cap space for him. San Antonio, Denver and Utah (depending on what happens with George Hill) are easy dots to connect but surely there are others who would court Lowry intensely. It’ll be an interesting case to watch this offseason.