Norman Powell
Norman Powell was acquired by the Portland Trail Blazers at the trade deadline from the Toronto Raptors. It was not cheap, as Portland parted ways with 22-year old wing Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood.
Powell had a player option worth $11.6 million for the 2021-22 season and given how well he has played, he declined that option. Now, there is a chance he comes close to doubling that amount with his average yearly salary on his next contract.
Powell is one of the better wings available this summer and will be heavily pursued. The New York Knicks are a team to keep an eye on as head coach Tom Thibodeau is a big fan of Powell’s.
While New York has the cap space to offer Powell as much money as any team, he will ultimately return to the Trail Blazers. Portland will be motivated to keep him because he is a productive player and they do not want to have traded away Trent for nothing.
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Powell is a legitimate two-way wing that has developed into a three-level scorer on offense and multi-positional defender on the other end of the court. Portland needs more guys willing to play defense if they are to break breakthrough in the postseason.
