Damian Lillard is an MVP candidate and a threat from anywhere inside the halfcourt line. CJ McCollum is taking more threes this season and hitting 42.5% of them.
Now the Trail Blazers are about to add one of the hottest three-point shooters in the league this season: Toronto’s Norman Powell. Toronto and Portland have agreed to terms, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Toronto has traded Norm Powell to Portland for Gary Trent and Rodney Hood, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2021
Every player in this trade is going to be a free agent this summer, so their new teams will have to pay up or let them walk.
Powell will help the already-impressive Portland offense by adding another perimeter threat and shot creator if teams load up on Dame and CJ. Powell played his way into the starting lineup in Toronto this season and thrived there, averaging 23.1 points a game and shooting 46.5% from three — with a ridiculous 68.5 true shooting percentage.
Portland just got a shooter.
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) March 25, 2021
Out of 64 NBA players that have tried at least 200 3s this season, Norman Powell currently ranks 3rd in 3P%.
He's made 43.9% of 269 attempts from beyond the arc this year.
Only Joe Ingles and Joe Harris have been more accurate this season. pic.twitter.com/nhcKgBDnMQ
Powell has struggled some defensively this year, but for his career is a pretty average defender for his position.
Powell just got too expensive for Toronto’s taste — after this season he’s going to get a new contract starting around $20 million a year from someone. Now Portland needs to pay up for that.
Hood did not work out as Portland hoped, Powell steps into that role, but now Hood gets a fresh start in Toronto with a Raptors team that will give him run and a chance to prove his worth before he hits the open market. (Hood is under contract for $10.8 million for next season, but it is non-guaranteed, and it’s likely Toronto lets him go.)
Gary Trent Jr. is the steal of this deal for this for Toronto — a defensive-minded wing who is averaging 15 points a game and shooting 39.7% from three. He’s a restricted free agent this offseason and you can bet the Raptors will match any deal.