Trail Blazers Acquire Norman Powell From Raptors

Powell has quietly had a big season with the Raptors. He’s averaged a career-best 19.6 points per game while shooting 49.8% from the field and 43.9% from 3-point range. He’s been even better when given a chance to start, averaging 22.8 points per game and shooting a blistering 52.9% from the field.

Several teams were reportedly interested in acquiring Powell’s services, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Blazers ultimately got the job done. Powell will head to Portland in exchange for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood, and he will fit in nicely next to Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.

The Raptors are also clearly not done making moves. They shipped Matt Thomas to the Jazz for a future second-round pick and followed that up by shipping Terance Davis to the Kings for a future second-rounder. These trades were more about the roster space than the compensation. Opening up a few additional roster spots will make it easier to take back pieces once they move Kyle Lowry, which seems almost certain to happen.