Ranking the trade value of each player on the Toronto Raptors

Norman Powell

After taking C.J. Miles spot in the rotation this season, Norman Powell’s trade value is rising with every game. So why is he so far down on this list? Quite simply, his contract.

Powell is currently in the first year of a four-year $41 million contract. Powell will make more than $10 million every season after this. Even in the NBA’s new high-salary landscape, that’s a hefty contract. With a salary cap of just over $100 million, $10 million is fair value for a fringe-starter or elite bench-player, Norman Powell is not that.

Powell is averaging 14.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per 36 minutes, he’s been relatively efficient shooting the ball this season and is as an above-average defender. By all accounts, Powell is a very nice piece in a rotation.

He’s just not quite a starter-quality player yet. He still turns the ball over at a high rate, isn’t a knock-down shooter, and doesn’t have the size to be an elite multi-positional defender. Powell will need to improve in order to make his contract a positive value. Nearly 26 years old, it’s fair to wonder how much more improvement Powell has left.

One thing working in Powell’s favor is his position. The trade market is flooded with centers right now. Everyone but Orlando and Phoenix has a point guard. The type of player everyone is scrambling for at this time is two-way wings with the ability to stretch the floor.

Norman Powell might be an overpay, but he is an overpay teams want.