Trail Blazers

Norman Powell says he was ‘shocked’ that he was traded to Blazers

/ by Jonathan Warner
Trail Blazers

For Portland Trail Blazer fans, the addition of shooting guard Norman Powell has been celebrated.

Yes, Rip City does miss Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr., but what Powell brings to the Blazers offense is exactly what the team was looking for.

Powell is averaging nearly 20 points per game on 50% shooting from the field, 44% from the three-point arc, and shooting 90% from the free-throw line in his best season so far.

Oh, and the Blazers are 2-0 since acquiring him.

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A good trade-off so far if we are being honest.

Of course, we are happy about Powell being in Portland, but what about how he felt about the whole thing? He won a championship in Toronto and has played his whole career there. 

A trade to another team can be a tough pill to swallow.

Thankfully, Powell himself gave us a little insight into the whole process.

In a feature piece with The Players’ Tribune, Powell wanted to send a thank you to the Raptors organization and the fanbase.

In the piece, Powell was candid about being traded to Portland. Basically saying that he was ‘shocked that he was traded altogether.

I wouldn’t say I had NO idea a trade might be on the table. I understand the way things work — and I knew my situation, as well as the team’s. I’m coming up on free agency. We were 11th in the East. I’m in a position where I can help a contender (and I’ll do that). They’re in a position where maybe they want to get younger (and they did that).

But even with all of that said, it still caught me off-guard. Not just because of the way I’ve been playing this season, but also the bigger picture — I always thought of myself as part of the core that was being built around.

Norman Powell

Powell then explained that he thought him and his teammates were going to be the next great Raptor team. But business is business in the NBA.

“Me, Freddy, Pascal, we all kind of came up together, Powell said. “We’re all about the same age. We’re thick as thieves, man. And I really felt like our group, plus OG, we were destined to be the next great Raptors team.

 

So I’d say for me that was probably the most bittersweet aspect of it. Just thinking about what could have been.

Norman Powell

It's hard for any player to move onto another team when you have spent your career there so far.

So its very understanding where Powell is coming from is fair.

Powell may miss Toronto, but he should know that the fans here at Rip City love having him in Portland.

You can check out his featured piece here.