Title: Is it time for the Toronto Raptors to trade Norman Powell?
Date: March 17, 2021
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I took a look at the case for the Raptors selling high on Norman Powell and what the market might offer up.
Ever since Norman Powell signed a four-year extension in October 2017, his value has been a bit of a paradox.
At the time, it looked like a good bet on a strong culture-builder with real upside. Not long after, it looked like an unnecessary early overpay to avoid restricted free agency, particularly compared to a player like Josh Richardson who signed the same deal and continued growing. Once the Raptors won a championship, the discussion around Powell was more about long-term asset value than dollar-per-production; with the Raptors transitioning to their next era, was Powell a part of it and, if not, would dealing him make sense?
Even within that more recent window, perception has swung. At one point, finding a way to maximum cap space potentially involved finding a home for Powell’s $11.6-million player option for 2021-22. At others, Powell had outplayed that player option and seemed an easy bet to hit free agency. That created what I referred to as Schrodinger’s contract, where the second Powell has positive asset value, you no longer want to deal him.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 