With free agency kicking off Friday at 6:00 p.m., teams across the league are preparing for the trading possibilities. One ready-made franchise is the LA Clippers. League insiders report that the Clippers could look into making changes to their roster for next season. In doing so, the Clippers made Norman Powell “available for trade”.
At last season’s trade deadline, the Trail Blazers sent Powell to the Los Angeles Clippers. He suffered an injury shortly after the trade and played just five games in 2021-22. Coach Ty Lue used Powell as an offensive spark off the bench.
He could easily have been a rookie, but Lue used him in this role for a reason. Powell played 60 games and made eight starts with the Clippers last season. His future with the team is in question as league reports indicate he is available for trade across the league.
Norman Powell is available for trading per @tweet pic.twitter.com/CJar871p1w
– NBACentral (TheNBACentral) June 27, 2023
2019 NBA Champion Norman Powell could be traded for the third time in the past three years
Norman Powell was acquired at the trade deadline last season by the Los Angeles Clippers. In the 40 games he played prior to that trade, he made 39 starts. This has not been the case for Powell this season. However, he still found a way to be effective off the bench for the Clippers.
He averaged (17.1) points, (2.9) rebounds and (1.8) assists last season. Powell shot an impressive (0.397) percent from depth, taking (4.8) triples per game. In 2021, he signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Clippers got that contract in a trade last season.
Over the next three seasons, the Clippers still owed Powell $58 million. There is a chance that LA is trying to trade Powell out of his expensive contract. Throughout his career, Powell has proven that he can excel in the postseason.
The Clippers were eliminated in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, but Powell played well. He averaged (21.8) points per game on (.406) percent shooting from the field. The Los Angeles front office said the team’s plan is to continue building around Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Freeing up some maximum space by trading Powell may help with this issue.