Norman Powell – Portland Trail Blazers
After having a breakout season last year with the Toronto Raptors and putting together some impressive performances in the NBA Bubble, Norman Powell entered this season with expectations of being a key role player for the Toronto Raptors and he exceeded those expectations early on.
Due to a number of injuries and players being out because of safety protocols, Norman Powell stepped into a starting role on the wing for the Raptors and immediately became one of their best overall players. Whether it is being able to score or be a reliable perimeter defender, Powell has all of the attributes to put together a season like Jerami Grant this year if he can be put in the spotlight for a team.
At the trade deadline this year, the Raptors traded Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood. Powell still had another year on his contract, but it is a $11.6M player option that he is most likely going to opt out of. There have been NBA rumors that he could be offered upwards of a $20M+/year contract this offseason, which is why Norman Powell is going to be a free agent.
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He has earned every bit of the massive contract he is set to get in free agency this summer, but whoever decides to sign Norman Powell is getting a young, athletic player with the potential to be a star. In a total of 54 games to this point in the season, Powell has averaged 19.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and has shot 42.1% from three-point range.
The soon to be 28-year-old shooting guard/small-forward is just reaching the peak of his career and given the opportunity to be one of the focal points of a team, Norman Powell could very well wind up being the best free agent signing of this coming offseason.
