In one of the busiest trade deadlines we’ve seen in a couple of years, the Toronto Raptors just made their first move. While most eyes are set on Kyle Lowry, they traded away MIP candidate Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Toronto has traded Norm Powell to Portland for Gary Trent and Rodney Hood, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
The Raptors will acquire sharpshooter Gary Trent Jr in return, as well as Rodney Hood, a couple of interesting pieces for their offense going forward.
Trent Jr is still pretty young, while Hood could also end up being trade bait for another team.
Powell, who’s used to coming off the bench for most of his career, is having a breakout season under Nick Nurse this year. Thus far, he’s averaging 19.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 49/43/86 shooting splits; and he’ll be poised for a huge role with Terry Stott’s team.
