NBA Trades: Explaining both sides of the Norman Powell trade

PORTLAND, OREGON – DECEMBER 06: Norman Powell # 24 of the Portland Trail Blazers is introduced as part of the starting lineup before the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Moda Center on December 06, 2021 in Portland, Oregon, NBA Trades: Explaining both sides of the Norman Powell trade. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

NBA trades season has officially begun.

The first big-time deal of the NBA season was completed on Friday night, and it involved two teams out West – the Portland Trail Blazers and the LA Clippers.

Portland sendt Norman Powell and Robert Covington to LA in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justice Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a 2025 second-round pick.

The general consensus on NBA Twitter? The Blazers got fleeced.

NBA Trades: The Portland Trail Blazers side to the Norman Powell trade

Taking a closer look, it definitely goes deeper than that. Obviously, Portland wouldn’t just make this trade without any sort of plans moving forward.

This deal will allow them to have a lot more flexibility this offseason, as well as have three very tradable contracts on the books instead of one big one.

Plus, they get the chance to look at Keon Johnson for the rest of the year. He’s only 19 years old, was just a lottery pick, and if the Blazers are going to tank for the rest of the season, he could get some serious run.

But none of that is the big takeaway from this trade. No. That would be the fact that the Clippers just added Powell to their roster for almost nothing.

NBA Trades: The LA Clippers side to the Norman Powell trade

Norman Powell has quietly had an amazing season with the Blazers this year. He’s the sort of player that any team around the league should be desperate to get their hands on.

So far this year, Powell is averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists a night while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three-point range.

Robert Covington is a solid pickup, too, but this trade isn’t about this season. This is about the road ahead for the LA Clippers once Kawhi Leonard and Paul George return.

Powell is on the books for four more seasons after this one. He’ll be fighting alongside Leonard and George for, theoretically, the rest of their time in LA.

Having that extra scoring punch and defensive presence on the wing will give them a massive boost. He only adds to an already sneakily deep roster.

While the Blazers definitely have their reasons for this trade, it’s very clear which team got the better end of the deal in terms of pure talent. Norman Powell is a huge pickup for the Clippers.