There’s plenty of names that the Philadelphia 76ers have been associated with heading into the trade deadline. While Kyle Lowry is the biggest name that the Sixers have been connected to, but he has a teammate that the 76ers could look to if they miss out on a marquee player.
Norman Powell has always been a solid scorer in his career, but this season he has taken it to a new level on the struggling Toronto Raptors. He’s averaging a career-high of 19.5 points on 43.4 percent from the 3-point line. Despite the great season, the question is if Powell is really worth what it would take to get him in the short and long term.
Is Powell worth the cost for the Philadelphia 76ers?
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Let’s evaluate what Powell would bring to Philly if traded to the franchise. He’s an efficient scorer who can get you 20-plus points on any given night. He’s not a negative defender and can play pretty good team ball. While he’s not a proven closer, he is a proven NBA champion which has value in itself.
He also has a player option this offseason so he can essentially become a free agent and will probably take the route to get a big payday. That new deal could look like a $20-plus contract for whoever signs him. However, trading for Powell would allow the Sixers to go over the salary cap to re-sign him so that is another positive for trading for him.
While Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense has already outlined one trade for the wing, below is a trade that I believe would benefit the Sixers much more while still giving the Raptors fair value.
The Raptors get a young prospect in Tyrese Maxey who could be a building block for the Raptors in this fake trade. They get added center depth in Vincent Poirier where he has a chance to contribute as Toronto has terrible depth at that position this year. Mike Scott is more-or-less a salary filler in this proposed deal, but getting a first round pick for a guy they probably wouldn’t be able to retain this offseason should be considered a win for the Raptors.
Philly not only acquires Powell but a versatile defender in Stanley Johnson. Johnson is one of the worst offensive players in the league, but having a big wing/power forward who is an above-average defender as a 15th man off the bench isn’t a terrible outcome for the Sixers. Unlike Kline’s hypothetical trade, this potential deal the Sixers would be able to keep Matisse Thybulle which should be a top priority for the club.
Clearly, for the right price, Powell would be worth the price for the Philadelphia 76ers if they miss out on Lowry at the trade deadline.