How Norman Powell’s Trade to Trail Blazers Impacts NBA Title Odds

The 2021 NBA trade deadline is heating up! We’re tracking every move on deadline day, including how futures odds could be impacted with Norman Powell reportedly on his way out of Toronto.

Trade Details

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired Norman Powell for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood.

Powell to the Trail Blazers Analysis

In one of the more interesting deals of the day, Toronto traded Norman Powell to Portland for Gary Trent Jr and Rodney Hood. While this may seem perplexing to the average fan, this makes sense from the Raptors perspective who are in the midst of a rebuild and have recently signed Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet to big contracts.

Norm Powell is the better player at this point and he’s in the midst of a career season, averaging 19.6 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 43.9% from behind the arc. However, he is six years older than Trent and is likely to command a large salary as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Trent is 22 and is averaging 15 points while shooting 39.7% from three and 42.1% on catch and shoot 3s.

Although he’s a restricted free agent this summer after turning down an extension with the Blazers, the move gives the Raptors the opportunity to sell Powell at his peak, evaluate Trent for the rest of the season while deciding if they’re willing to resign him at a price which will likely be less than what Powell receives in free agency.

Overall, the deal benefits the timelines of both teams but the Raptors could end up winning this trade in the long run if Trent develops into a player that’s better than what we see from Powell at this point.

For the Blazers, you have to wonder if the move to bring in a 6-foot-3 guard to play with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum is anything more than a lateral move as they’ll have yet another small guard on a team that struggles to defend. — Raheem Palmer

How the Trade Impacts Odds

The Portland Trail Blazers' odds haven't moved at all since Powell was reportedly moved via trade. They remain 60-1 to win the NBA title.