Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell will very likely be traded before Thursday’s deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Powell’s future has become far less about whether he’ll be moved, but which among a dozen or so suitors will acquire him,” Wojnarowski wrote in a piece published early Wednesday morning.
Powell, 27, is in the middle of his most productive season yet, averaging 19.7 points and shooting 43 per cent from three-point range. He is expected to decline his $11.6-million option after the season and become a free agent.
Wojnarowski reports that the Philadelphia 76ers are one team that has inquired about Powell, adding that other interested teams “prefer to find a way to sign him to a new deal, and not give up assets to simply have him as a rental for the remainder of the season.”
In the same piece, Wojnarowski touched on similar reports from Tuesday on Kyle Lowry, saying trade talks “are gathering traction.”
As Shams Charania of The Athletic also reported during an appearance on Sportsnet 590’s Good Show Tuesday, Wojnarowski writes that the 76ers and Miami Heat have spoken to the Raptors about Lowry, adding that “there are several more teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences giving Toronto president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster reason to weigh the possibility of accepting a return of future assets instead of leaning on Lowry for one final playoffs run.”
The Raptors’ playoff hopes have taken a hit in recent weeks as the team’s played through a nine-game losing streak, which was partially brought on by the loss of core players due to COVID-19 protocols.
The team enters play Wednesday ranked 11th in the Eastern Conference, two-and-a-half games back of the Indiana Pacers for 10th place, the cut-off for the league’s new play-in round.
