Norman Powell – Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have had some great seasons over the last few years, but they may be ready to start tearing some things down and taking a step back. The Raptors have been taking calls on both Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell and ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday night that it seems likely that Toronto will be looking to trade Powell before Thursday’s deadline.
While they have what appears to be a playoff contending roster, the Toronto Raptors have already given big contract extensions to Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and O.G. Anunoby, not leaving much cap space for them to keep both Lowry and Powell, hence why they could be taking a step back and looking to rebuild with the three young talents they signed to long-term extensions.
Norman Powell is not only having a career-year, but has drawn a ton of interest around the league because of his play on both ends of the court. Now being in his sixth season in the NBA, Powell has emerged as a reliable and high-level scorer on the wing and a dependable one-on-one defender.
While they have two young, high-level talents in Malik Beasley and Anthony Edwards on the wing, adding Norman Powell to their rotation could be an excellent addition for the Timberwolves, which is why he is a player they should be monitoring as the NBA trade deadline closes in.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: 5 bold predictions for the NBA trade deadline
Not only could he be a key player for them to help turn things around, but Norman Powell could possibly emerge as the Timberwolves second-best overall talent next to Karl-Anthony Towns. There are a lot of question marks about the availability of D’Angelo Russell moving forward and with this team needing as much talent as they can get, adding Powell could be a massive move.
The 27-year-old wing is having a tremendous season with the Raptors and has gained a ton of interest around the league as a result of his play with numerous Raptors’ players missing time this season due to injuries and health protocols. In 41 games, Powell has averaged 19.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and has shot 43.4% from three-point range.
Wherever Norman Powell gets traded to, expect that team to offer him a max-contract extension in the offseason, paying him $20M+ per year for at least the next three seasons.
