Is this Aaron Afflalo all over again? I don't want to say so (Norm >>Afflalo, and we've re-signed Norm) but I think the Raptors are very happy. Not only is Gary still a knockdown shooter, he's leading the league in deflections AND check out #3. I mean, I remember in the bubble play-in we all thought he'd made THE LEAP, and even thought he was a great defender, but that impression evaporated afterwards. Has he gone back to what we thought he was?
Knockdown shooter?? He's shooting 43% from the floor and 35% from three. Both are significantly worse than Norman. As is his scoring, and PER.
We traded defense for offense. Although Trent was not good defensively last year. Don’t think he would have developed here.
its both yes and no, context is important powell is older and fits this teams timeline as we are in win now mode and gary trent jr fits their timeline, so deal made sense at the time, gtj probably wouldnt have the same role powell has here or gtj has there few years from now, we will regret this deal, but it is what it is, it made sense at the time
No because Powell should be our starting 2 guard. He’s playing out of position. Maybe he will eventually become our starting 2 when we finally ship out CJ
No. Trent was going to leave, no matter what we did. And Powell is better during Dame's prime. Better leadership, better shooter, better defender... Norm is just better.
My eyesight say's Powell get to the hoop when he wants better. He's a better shooter at this point too. Time will tell on this one.
I'm all for any reason to dump on Olshey.... but this trade is not it. Given performance, skill, & contracts - I'll still take Norm.
interesting. Generally, I think Portland probably won the trade, but it's early. If Powell is stuck at SF for the next 2-3 years, the evaluation may change I think Powell's defense was overrated. But then, IMO, so was Trent's. Apparently Trent has made a leap with his defense this season. He certainly has the junkyard-dog intensity on defense, much like Dillon Brooks. That can set the tone, and it sounds like Trent is getting credit for that this season. He hasn't been shooting as well in Toronto as he did in Portland. That's worth noting. neither Powell or Trent are good rebounders, but that's a much bigger deficit for Powell since he plays in the front-court. Neither are good passers. I don't buy the "fits-the-timeline" argument because what fits any timeline better is the best player. If somebody is better at 23 than another player is at 28, they fit a timeline better while having a lot more upside. Trent may have more upside than Powell, but he really isn't better right now curious...Trent actually makes less per year than Powell. Do you just like the longer duration of Powell's contract?
Portland won the trade because Trent wasn't worth the cost of re-signing. He's a decent shooter, mediocre defender and does nothing else. Powell is worth the cost of re-signing as he's better on both ends of the court, IMO. Of course, it would probably be clearer if Powell wasn't being played at a forward spot.
Yeah, I'm a big Raptors fan, but I still go for Norm. I'm amazed at all the all-defense love that Trent's getting, though.
If looking at the 5 man units that played for Portland at least 36 minutes together last year (a starter's average time) - and we sort them by worst net ratings, GTJ was on 6 of these units, more than any other role player.
I don't understand the "couldn't keep him" narrative. I don't think that's a factor. Trent's annual salary is actually less than Powell's.
That is due to Norm's contract being longer. Looking at the comparable contract lengths, Norm makes slightly less than Trent.... although it's not enough to be materially different. Trent - '22= $16.0M '23= $17.3M '24= $18.5M (player option) Powell - '22= $15.5M '23= $16.8M '24= $18.0M Norm is also under contract for the '25 and '26 seasons.
