Report: Trail Blazers Nab Norman Powell In Trade With Raptors For Gary Trent Jr.
Trade rumors swirling around the Trail Blazers for weeks have proven to be more than that after all.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Portland has acquired Norman Powell from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood.
Whispers of the Blazers' interest in Powell first surfaced earlier this week, when it became apparent Toronto would bite the bullet and move franchise icon Kyle Lowry.
Powell has shaken off a slow start to the season to play the best basketball of his six-year career, averaging 19.6 points while shooting 43.9 percent on 6.4 three-point attempts per game – all career-highs. Though not quite the explosive athlete of his early days in the NBA, Powell is still an accomplished three-level scoring threat who's capable of putting regular pressure on the rim in the halfcourt, one of Portland's biggest weaknesses.
Powell is a better individual defender than both Trent and Hood, but lacks the size of a premier wing stopper. Expect him to spend a lot of time checking star point guards, while occasionally moonlighting as a defender of playmaking forwards.
Make no mistake: Portland got the best player out of this deal, and it's not particularly close. As good as Trent's been at times this season, he's not as versatile as Powell on either end of the floor. Anything that keeps Terry Stotts from indulging his allegiance to veterans by playing Hood – a below replacement-level performer this season – over Nassir Little and Anferenee Simons is a win for the Blazers, too.
But Portland certainly took on some risk here. Powell will decline his player option for next season, and given the barren free-agency landscape this summer is bound to receive a significant raise off his current salary of $10.9 million.
The Blazers would have been tasked with paying Trent a similar amount come free agency that they will Powell. The difference? Trent will be a restricted free agent, meaning his incumbent team has the chance to match any offer sheet he signs with a competitor. Obtaining Powell's Bird Rights is crucial for a cash-strapped franchise like Portland, but there's no guarantee he'll want to stay in Rip City long-term if he receives viable offers on the open market.
Two more factors here: A two-for-one swap clears out another open roster spot for the Blazers, and dips them another million dollars or so below the luxury-tax line. They'll be a popular potential destination for bought-out veterans.
Trent's rapid improvement over the last 18 months, combined with Portland's precarious cap situation, always meant his future in Rip City was tenuous. Whether moving on from him so soon proves worth it will depend not just on Powell's play over the season's remainder, but how free agency unfolds come July.