NBA Trade Rumors: Multiple teams interested in Toronto Raptors' Norman Powell
Norman Powell is playing the best basketball of his life with the Toronto Raptors and NBA trade rumors suggest that many teams are monitoring the shooting guard. He started the 2020-21 season on a rather dismal note but has averaged 23.5 points per game on a 50-40-90 clip since the beginning of February.
Norman Powell is owed roughly $10.8 million this year and has a player option for 2021-22. His efficient high-volume scoring could help several contenders and the Toronto Raptors guard is receiving plenty of interest as per ESPN's Zach Lowe. Lowe mentioned the following on The Lowe Post podcast.
"It might take me more hands than I have to count how many teams have inquired about Norm Powell with them."
While there was no indication from Lowe whether the Toronto Raptors are looking to sell or not, they do have an important decision to make regarding Norman Powell. He's likely to decline his player option next season and the front office needs to ascertain whether they will be in a position to pay him.
NBA Trade Rumors: Is Norman Powell a part of the Toronto Raptors' future?
The Toronto Raptors are already committed to building the team around Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet all of whom are tied down to long-term deals. So giving Norman Powell a big contract could seriously impact Toronto's cap flexibility.
The Raptors' immediate plans also remain unclear. They've shown that they can contest for the playoffs but their current five-game losing streak has pushed them to the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Then there are reports of the Toronto Raptors wanting to move on from Kyle Lowry and doing that would clearly signal that they're going to be sellers ahead of the trade deadline. If that indeed is the case, then the front office should explore trading Norman Powell as well. If they decide to push for the playoffs though, Powell is likely to remain with the Raptors until the end of this season at the very least.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Miami Heat in talks with OKC Thunder over Trevor Ariza