The Toronto Raptors had a deep team in the 2018-19 season with Kawhi Leonard headlining, but Norman Powell was an underrated piece.
There were veteran pieces in Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Danny Green. In addition to young players looking to make a name for themselves in O.G. Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and Powell.
Balancing between two timelines is usually not good and tends to lead to underwhelming results. A current example is the Golden State Warriors, who are trying to win with Stephen Curry while developing talent.
Unfortunately, Powell was moved during the 2020-21 trade deadline for Gary Trent Jr. as Powell was set for a new contract.
Toronto ended up paying Trent Jr. and the now Los Angeles Clipper believes he should have been paid instead to keep the band together, via The Young Man and The Three podcast:
“They [Toronto Raptors] could have paid me what they paid Gary Trent and kept the band together…I wanted to be with my boys.”
Hindsight being 20-20, Powell would have been the better decision given the season he is having for L.A.
The former UCLA Bruin is currently averaging 24.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 49.6 percent shooting from the field and 42.8 percent from three-point range.
Arguably, Powell is the frontrunner for the Most Improved Player award this year. He averaged 13.9 points last season making for an impressive leap due to Paul George leaving the Clippers.
Ironically, L.A. is in the mix in the Western Conference playoff race while the Philadelphia 76ers and George are on the outside looking in.
Now, Trent Jr. is on the Milwaukee Bucks after leaving in free agency last summer. So, seeing Powell blossoming this year does not make the Raptors’ decision look any better.
Norman Powell’s stats with Raptors
Norman Powell spent six years in Canada suiting up in 349 games for the Raptors. He averaged 9.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 46.6 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from distance in 20.2 minutes.
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