On Friday, February 4th the Portland Trailblazers traded Norman Powell to the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of the NBA trade deadline. The Clippers also got Robert Covington from the Blazers and sent Eric Bledsoe, Justice Winslow, Keon Johnson, a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Blazers.
This move is a big one for the Clippers. They essentially gave up two players that were not part of their main rotation or part of their future and then a young and raw player in Keon Johnson and a second round pick way in the future for a solid wing scorer and defender.
Powell is averaging 18.7 points per game this year and averaged nearly 20 just two years ago with the Raptors. An underrated part of his game is his defensive ability. This team could be very dangerous offensively but mostly defensively when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George return.
The Clippers are currently in the playoff picture in the West. They could even increase their position immediately with Powell added to the team. If George and Leonard are able to return this year it would likely be because of this current team was able to get into the playoffs. If they miss the playoffs, George and Leonard are unlikely to return this year.
This could be a scary team if all of them are in the lineup come playoff time.
Photo Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_norman_powell_toronto_raptors_2019.jpg
