Norman Powell Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trail Blazers Notes: Moda Center, Powell, Billups

May 6th, 2021 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

One of the last teams to reopen their doors to fans this season, the Trail Blazers announced on Wednesday in a press release that they’ll welcome back a limited number of fans to Moda Center in Portland as of Friday, May 7.

The Blazers will only fill the arena to 10 percent capacity, but the timing of the reopening couldn’t be better — Portland will host the Lakers on Friday night in what will be a crucial game in the race to avoid the play-in tournament in the Western Conference. The Lakers will be on the second night of a back-to-back and are expected to be missing LeBron James, so the Blazers will have a great opportunity to pick up a game in the standings and secure the tiebreaker over L.A.

Here’s more on the Blazers:

Blazers swingman Norman Powell, who is dealing with right knee patellar tendinopathy, missed Wednesday’s game vs. Cleveland, as Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports notes (via Twitter). While Powell’s knee would probably benefit from rest, he’ll likely want to get back on the court for Friday’s showdown vs. the Lakers.
Following a brutal stretch of nine losses in 11 games, Portland bounced back with a 5-1 record on its just-completed six-game road trip. Jason Quick of The Athletic contends that the team is finding its identity at the right time and has benefited from shortening its rotation.
In case you missed it, a report from The Athletic on Wednesday indicated that Blazers head coach Terry Stotts will be in serious danger of losing his job at season’s end unless he can “pull a rabbit out of his hat” and lead the club to a deep postseason run. Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, and others were cited by The Athletic as possible candidates to replace Stotts, with Mitch Lawrence of SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter link) also reporting that Billups is prepared to “throw his hat in the ring” if the job becomes available.

Knicks Rumors: Offseason, Randle, Toppin, Powell

April 26th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks took a patient approach to the 2020 offseason, opting not to pursue impact players like Russell Westbrook via trade or Fred VanVleet via free agency, per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, and that approach has paid off so far this season. Many of the lower-cost veterans New York did add, including Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, have played key roles on a team that is currently 34-27, fourth in the East.

Given this year’s success, there will be a “cohort” of New York’s front office eager to push to add more impactful talent during the 2021 offseason, Fischer writes.

“Now the goal posts have been moved,” a person with knowledge of the situation told Bleacher Report. “Thibs (head coach Tom Thibodeau) isn’t going to want to rebuild. He has a lot of power, and there’s some momentum.”

While Thibodeau and other Knicks decision-makers may want to be aggressive in free agency, the club could again opt to take more of a middle ground, according to Fischer. One potential route would be re-signing Burks and Noel to one-year contracts and attempting to add an impact outside free agent, such as Kyle Lowry, on a short-term deal. Fischer hears that Lowry is expected to seek a multiyear commitment, but perhaps a lucrative one-year offer from the Knicks could entice him.

Fischer’s deep dive into the Knicks’ present and future includes many more interesting tidbits. Here are some highlights:

There’s some skepticism around the NBA that Julius Randle‘s increased three-point efficiency is sustainable (he’s making 41.6% this season after entering the season as a 29.5% three-point shooter). And Fischer says the Knicks did, at least briefly, consider the possibility of trading Randle earlier this season when his value was on the rise. However, he hasn’t tailed off at all after his hot start. “Everyone knew Randle was a good player, but nobody thought he could be the best player on a playoff team,” one assistant GM told Fischer. “Now I’d vote for him second-team All-NBA, and there’s no question he should be Most Improved.”
Given Randle’s success this season, that assistant GM who spoke to Fischer wondered how much the Knicks’ enthusiasm for Obi Toppin – who plays the same position as Randle – might have waned in recent months. “You can’t really play him and Randle together,” the assistant GM said, speculating that the rookie could become a trade candidate. “There’s no runway for him to be successful there.”
The Knicks’ play this season has increased the appeal of the organization as a free agent destination in the eyes of agents, Fischer writes. “If you wanted to be part of a good organization and win, you couldn’t possibly send anyone there (before this year). And that’s changed with Thibs and (assistant coach) Kenny (Payne),” one agent said to Bleacher Report. “Even in the draft, if we had someone who wanted to go there and was maybe an immature kid and needed good people around them to grow them as a pro, you couldn’t send him there.”
Fischer reiterates that Lonzo Ball, a restricted free agent this summer, has some big fans within the Knicks’ front office, and reports that Norman Powell is another free-agent-to-be who may draw interest from the club. Thibodeau is known to like Powell, sources tell Fischer.

Northwest Notes: Rivers, Russell, Deck, Powell

April 22nd, 2021 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Prior to Wednesday’s game against Portland, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters that the team didn’t bring in Austin Rivers just to “hang out” and that the plan was to incorporate him immediately, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Malone delivered on that promise by playing Rivers for 13 minutes in Wednesday’s win — the veteran guard scored five points and added three rebounds.

After the game, Rivers said he reflected on his situation a lot since being traded and waived in March, and arrived in Denver determined to be a professional teammate who brought a “positive energy” to the Nuggets (Twitter link via Singer).

In addition to that positive energy, Rivers should bring capable outside shooting, shot creation, and perimeter defense to a backcourt that has been hit recently by injuries, writes Eric Spyropoulos of Nuggets.com.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

When D’Angelo Russell returned from his knee injury earlier this month, the Timberwolves had him coming off the bench on a minutes limit. Russell’s minutes should increase a little going forward, to about 30 per game, per head coach Chris Finch, but he’ll continue coming off the bench for the time being, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes. “It’s the plan eventually to get him into the starting lineup, but we’re all comfortable where he is,” Finch said.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on Wednesday that there’s still no update on the arrival of recently-signed forward Gabriel Deck, who is being held up visa issues. “Still working through it. Trying to get him here, trying to get him locked in,” Daigneault said (Twitter link via Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman). “We’d like to certainly have him join us and see him play for as many games as possible.”
Asked about his upcoming free agency, Trail Blazers wing Norman Powell said he’s too wrapped up in the playoff race to think about much yet, per Jason Quick of The Athletic. “I’m looking at everything, evaluating everything,” Powell said. “It’s a little different for me now because I thought I would be in Toronto. It was like home, and you always want to stay home. But now, it’s like a different perspective, learning about a different organization and how they operate.”

Western Notes: Towns, Powell, Paschall, Hall, Roby

April 4th, 2021 at 8:54pm CST by JD Shaw

Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns acknowledged that the time to chase stats is over, re-affirming that his only focus is helping Minnesota win in a turbulent season, Dane Moore of Blue Wire Podcasts tweets.

Towns recently put forth a 30-point, 16-rebound performance in a loss to the Grizzlies on Friday, following it up with a 39-point, 14-rebound outing in a loss to the Sixers on Saturday. The Timberwolves are just 12-38 and have dealt with significant injuries and COVID-19 issues throughout the season.

“I’ve had the time to mess up and I guess you could say ‘chase stats.’ That s–t is over,” Towns said. “I’ve proved myself in this league. I truly believe that. I don’t have to prove myself anymore. But now what I have to prove is: can I win? I think that’s the next step.

“I have to do whatever it takes. I look at the stat sheet, ‘Oh, it’s great, it’s wonderful, 30 and 16’. But we lost. I don’t give a s–t then. At the end of the day, the word on me is still gonna be the word. There’s only one way to change the narrative, and that’s to go beat the narrative.”

Here are some other notes from the Western Conference:

Trail Blazers guard Norman Powell is adjusting quickly in Portland, Casey Holdahl of NBA.com writes. Powell was recently traded to Portland from Toronto and has proven to be effective in his limited time, scoring 15 points in the team’s win over the Thunder on Saturday. “I feel good, I feel like the transition has been really easy,” Powell said. “The coaches, the guys have made it real easy to fit in. I feel like the more time I spend with them, the more practices we get in, the more games, I’ll start to feel better with the chemistry, the flow of the game, the play-calling and rotations on defense. I’m liking it so far.”
Warriors forward Eric Paschall will miss at least two weeks after undergoing an MRI on Saturday that revealed a left hip flexor strain, the team announced (Twitter link). Paschall, 24, is averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 17.3 minutes per game this season.
The Thunder have released medical updates on Josh Hall and Isaiah Roby, announcing that both players sustained concussions in the team’s game against Portland. They’ll now join second-year player Luguentz Dort in the league’s concussion protocol.

Atlantic Notes: Aldridge, Ujiri, Fournier, Powell

March 31st, 2021 at 7:53pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Nets just added former seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge to their gallery of decorated vets, prompting Alex Schiffer of The Athletic to examine how the power forward/center can fit on such a deep roster — especially one with a suddenly-crowded frontcourt. Aldridge figures to serve as a floor-stretching small ball center and a competent defender around the basket.

Meanwhile, Kevin Pelton of ESPN details why Aldridge may not be such a smooth fit on a club that may struggle to parse out minutes effectively among veterans like Aldridge, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, plus ascendant young big man Nicolas Claxton and even switchable forwards Kevin Durant and Joe Harris.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Raptors team president Masai Ujiri has made plenty of incredible moves during his tenure with the club, but his failure to improve the team’s center rotation this season has to be considered one of his biggest oversights, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. After losing big men Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol to star-studded Los Angeles teams in the 2020 offseason, Ujiri signed Aron Baynes and Alex Len as their primary replacements. The Raptors cut Len in January (he has since proved productive in a limited role with the Wizards), and have had trouble scoring with Baynes on the floor.
Ahead of his arrival in Boston, new Celtics shooting guard Evan Fournier had a false positive COVID-19 test, according to Tom Westerholm of Boston.com. An unrestricted free agent this summer, Fournier has remained relatively mum when it comes to addressing his future with the Celtics. “My focus right now is just to learn the plays, learn how to play with my teammate[s], and win games,” Fournier said. ” I like to stay in the present, stay in the moment.” Fournier is currently on an expiring $17.5MM contract.
Trail Blazers shooting guard Norman Powell, a longtime Raptors fixture, penned an emotional goodbye to Toronto in the Players’ Tribune. “I kept it together for a while,” Powell said of hearing about the deal. “And then I saw Jama Mahlalela. Jama is one of our assistant coaches, and he was also my very first coach when I got to Toronto. He’s known me literally since Summer League, and I’ve spent a lot of time working with him super closely. And he came in to give me a hug, and, man … I just heard it in his voice… and that was it. After that, it was a wrap. It was straight-up waterworks. I started breaking down crying … all the memories that I’d been holding back for those last couple of days, they came rushing back in.”

Northwest Notes: M. Brown, Muscala, Blazers, Beasley, Nuggets

March 29th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Moses Brown‘s new contract with the Thunder is a four-year deal worth $6.8MM, according to Royce Young of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the second and third years are non-guaranteed. There’s a fourth-year team option for 2023/24, Young adds.

If Brown keeps playing like he has in his last four games (14.3 PPG, 16.8 RPG), that deal could wind up being a major bargain for the Thunder. However, one aspect of it is relatively player-friendly — as Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), Brown’s rest-of-season salary of $1.25MM is about $750K than he would have earned if he received the prorated minimum.

Because Oklahoma City remains about $4MM below the minimum salary floor, per Marks, there was no reason for the team not to go above the 2020/21 minimum for Brown. The Thunder’s cap situation also provides little incentive to try to save money by buying out any of their current veterans, so it makes sense that Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman is reporting that a buyout with Mike Muscala is “unlikely to happen.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

After trading for Norman Powell at last week’s trade deadline, Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey told Jason Quick of The Athletic that the team had to “shake things up” since “things were starting to look stale.” According to Quick, Portland – with two open roster spots after the trade – will likely peruse the buyout market in search of another wing or guard who could play back-of-the-rotation minutes.
Having completed the 12-game suspension he received following his February legal sentencing, Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley said he thinks he’s in a better place. “I feel like my life is where it needs to be,” Beasley said, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. “I got a chance to work on myself on and off the court. I learned from my mistakes, and I’m ready to move on for it.”
After making his Nuggets debut in a blowout win over Atlanta on Sunday, Aaron Gordon liked what he saw, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details. “I see no limits for this team,” Denver’s newest forward said. “It looks like we have all the pieces that we need. We have the depth. It’s like we are covered in a lot of different spots offensively, defensively. As long as we are all working together, there’s no stopping us.”

Trail Blazers Acquire Norman Powell From Raptors

March 25th, 2021 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

5:07pm: The trade sending Powell to Portland is official, according to a team press release. Raptors team president Masai Ujiri lauded Powell’s contributions to Toronto in a statement.

“Norman accomplished so much with the Raptors,” Ujiri said in part. “Norman is an NBA Champion, and he has earned his place as one of the great success stories in franchise history.”

11:52am: The Raptors will send Norman Powell to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Portland won the bidding war for Powell, who is expected to turn down an $11.6MM player option for next season and become a free agent. He will add another scoring option to a Blazers team that already has Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in the backcourt.

It was reported that roughly half the league had called Toronto to inquire about Powell, who is having a career-best season at 19.5 PPG.

The Raptors opted for financial flexibility in the deal. Hood, 28, has a $10.86MM contract for next season that is non-guaranteed until June 23. Hood’s playing time has dropped off sharply this season and he’s shooting just 29.8% from beyond the arc.

Trent is making $1.66MM and will be a restricted free agent this summer if Toronto makes a $2.12MM qualifying offer. The third-year swingman became a part-time starter this season and is averaging a career-high 15.0 PPG. He has knocked down 40.7% of his three-point attempts over the last two seasons.

Since the Raptors will have the right to match any offer Trent receives, the team should have an easier time retaining him than it would have with Powell, who will be unrestricted. Trent’s cap hold will also be just $2.12MM, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), allowing the Raptors to open up more cap room.

Portland generates a $1.7MM trade exception in the deal, tweets Marks. Bird rights will accompany Powell and Trent, so their new teams can go over the cap to re-sign them.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jusuf Nurkic Ready To Return On Friday

March 25th, 2021 at 3:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers made a splash on Thursday by agreeing to acquire Norman Powell from the Raptors. They’ll also add another key piece in-house, as center Jusuf Nurkic is ready to return from a lengthy absence. The big man tweets he’ll be in the lineup against the Magic on Friday.

Nurkic underwent surgery on January 19 to repair a fracture in his right wrist. He suffered his latest major injury against the Pacers while attempting to block a shot. He was cleared to play this week.

The 6’11” Nurkic missed nearly the entire 2019/20 season due to a major leg injury suffered late in the previous season. He’s averaging 9.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 12 games (23.3 MPG) this season. He enjoyed a career year, averaged 15.6 PPG, 10.4 RPG and 3.2 APG, in 2018/19 before fracturing his left leg.

Nurkic has a partially guaranteed base salary of $12MM next season. He’s guaranteed $4MM and the Trail Blazers will have to decide whether to give him a full guarantee this summer.

Enes Kanter, who is averaging 12.1 PPG and 11.6 RPG, will return to a second-unit role with Nurkic back in action.

Lakers, Heat, Sixers Remain Engaged In Kyle Lowry Talks

March 25th, 2021 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors remain “seriously” engaged with the Lakers, Heat, and Sixers in trade discussions involving point guard Kyle Lowry, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Miami and Philadelphia have long been mentioned as suitors for the veteran guard, but the Lakers are a more recent addition to the Lowry sweepstakes. Charania’s report comes on the heels of ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggesting on Wednesday that the Lakers are a team to watch on the Lowry front.

While the NBA’s two biggest national news-breakers have the Lakers in the mix for Lowry, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst expressed some skepticism today on First Take this morning, suggesting that the Lakers rumors may be a smokescreen to get the Heat and 76ers to improve their offers, as RealGM relays. Windhorst also said that, as of Wednesday, the Raptors hadn’t been all that impressed by the offers on the table for the six-time All-Star.

“They’re basically negotiating with only two teams, with Miami and Philadelphia,” Windhorst said, per RealGM. “From what I can glean from people I’ve talked to, neither one of them are putting the premium, premium package they can offer for Kyle Lowry and that’s frustrated the Raptors a little bit.”

Of course, while the Raptors may feel as if they’re being low-balled, that’s a matter of perspective. League sources who spoke to Jordan Schultz of ESPN (Twitter link) said Toronto’s asking prices for Lowry and Norman Powell are “huge.” Since those two Raptors vets are considered two of the top options on the trade market, the market may not really get moving until there’s resolution on one or both of them, Schultz explains.

Raptors Notes: Lowry, Powell, Siakam, Nurse

March 25th, 2021 at 7:29am CST by Luke Adams

After helping the Raptors snap their nine-game losing streak on Wednesday with a blowout win over Denver, veteran point guard Kyle Lowry admitted that it was a “weird” feeling not knowing if it was his last game with the franchise, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Lowry is prepared for the possibility of being traded later today, on his 35th birthday.

“Whatever will be will be, honestly,” Lowry said, per Lewenberg. “That’s the truth.

“I don’t know (what I want to happen). I wish I could give you (an answer), but at the end of the day, I’m gonna (make) a decision and work it out and if something happens, it happens — if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Everything happens for a reason. I personally, right now, I don’t really put too much thought into it. My agent is really good at his job and (is having) a lot of decisions, he’ll look at it and help facilitate that decision.”

According to Lewenberg, the odds of Lowry being traded seemed slim earlier this month. Sources tell TSN.ca that the Raptors were still telling teams last week that they didn’t intend to move him and that Lowry and his reps expected to finish the season with the club. That has changed in recent days, as Toronto has become more willing to listen to inquiries and offers for the six-time All-Star, who could be the biggest name on the move in the next seven hours.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

Norman Powell, the Raptors’ other top trade candidate, said that his preference would be to remain with Toronto, but he acknowledged that anything could happen, as Lewenberg relays. “My roots are here,” Powell said. “I’ve given everything to the franchise. Obviously I want to stay here. I’m not out looking for other teams to go play for. I’m solely focused on this season, being with the team and hopefully being able to finish out the season with them. But I understand that it’s a business.” Lewenberg and other reporters have suggested that Powell is very likely to be dealt today.
Appearing on ESPN’s Bart & Hahn Show (video link), Brian Windhorst said he believes the Raptors will essentially control the trade deadline, since Lowry and Powell are two of the top players available. Teams chasing one or both of those two may want resolution before moving onto other targets.
The Raptors’ dominant win over Denver on Wednesday showed how much upside the current group still has, but it was probably too little, too late to change the team’s approach to the deadline, writes Blake Murphy of The Athletic.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca provided some additional details on the confrontation between Pascal Siakam and head coach Nick Nurse that may result in a $50K fine for the Raptors forward. Grange describes Siakam’s outburst toward Nurse as one that crossed lines and included “words beyond standard cursing.” However, there’s no indication that it will lead to anything drastic involving Siakam at the trade deadline, Grange notes.
The Raptors denied a report that Siakam had been fined $50K, saying possible discipline was still being discussed internally. But since those team penalties aren’t made public, we may never know for sure whether or not Toronto fines Siakam, according to Grange, who says the club has concerns about the way the report on that fine and another recent Shams Charania report – which blamed a COVID-19 outbreak on the coaching staff not following proper masking guidelines – have surfaced.