The NBA Trade Deadline is fast approaching, as teams have until the afternoon of this Thursday, February 10th, to make deals during this league year. If the Cleveland Cavaliers want to upgrade their backcourt or add a quality wing for the stretch run and playoffs, this is the time.
As is common, at least one large deal gets done about a week ahead of time, and this season was no exception. Friday afternoon the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers agreed to a five-player deal that sends Eric Bledsoe, Justice Winslow and Keon Johnson to the Blazers in exchange for Norman Powell and Robert Covington.
The Clippers are trading Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and future second-round pick to the Trail Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2022
This deal between two Western Conference teams unlikely to win a playoff series should have little-to-no bearing on the Cavs directly, other than improving the Clippers ahead of their March 14th meeting (the Cavs have already played and swept both games with Portland this season). Yet it does bring up an indirect question: given what few assets the Clippers gave up in this deal, should the Cavs have made a push for Norman Powell?
As the Cavs search for an upgrade on the wing, Norman Powell was traded at a low cost. Should Cleveland have jumped in and traded for Powell?
Norman Powell is in the first year of a five-year, $90 million contract he signed this past offseason. Given that Portland sent him and Covington’s expiring deal out and got back salary for next year (Bledsoe has a partial guarantee and Winslow is fully guaranteed for four million) and just a devalued rookie first-rounder and future second-roud pick, it’s clear the Blazers couldn’t get more value for Powell around the league.
The Cavs have a few different assets they could have tossed into such a deal. Should they have jumped in and made an offer for Powell? Would he solve any of the needs they have as a team? It may seem like a moot point, but let’s consider it an exercise at how the Cavs should be analyzing each potential deal leaguewide. Let’s look at the reasons for and against trading for Norman Powell.
Reasons the Cavs should have traded for Norman Powell
The Cleveland Cavaliers have their answers at point guard and both big man spots, and that core of Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley is young and under team control for a long time. The questions come at the 2 and 3, where Isaac Okoro and Lauri Markkanen are not surefire options and Collin Sexton is both injured and a poor fit despite his talent.
Norman Powell is healthy and an excellent fit, with decent size and defensive ability combined with an absolutely knockdown jumper. Powell has hit at least 39.9 percent of his 3-pointers over the past four seasons, including 40.6 percent this year, and provides some modicum of ball movement.
Powell wouldn’t be the absolutely lockdown defender that Okoro is, but he would be fine on that end, something the Cavs can afford given the combo of Mobley and Allen inside. He is under contract for four more seasons after this one, and the hit of his deal will go down as the cap goes up.
Given the Blazers’ goals of salary relief and some amount of young/future assets, the Cavs could have jumped in with an offer of Ricky Rubio and two second-round picks for Powell and one of Portland’s smaller salaries; it would have at least been competitive with what the Clippers sent, the Portland could still have found a buyer for Robert Covington to net further assets.
That deal would have been a no-brainer for the Cavs; it likely would even have been worth it to send their first-rounder this season in such a deal, as Powell is a great fit on a decent long-term contract.
Reasons the Cavs should not have traded for Norman Powell
Even at a reduced cost, trading for Norman Powell wouldn’t have been a slam dunk obvious move for the Cavs. First, it would mean firing their one best trade deadline bullet, the Rubio contract. Their midsize salaries are all a part of the rotation, while Rubio is an expiring deal perfect for matching purposes.
Trading for a wing like Powell does help at an important position, but he doesn’t help meet the need at backup point guard. The Cavs would likely have to continue rolling with Rajon Rondo and/or Brandon Goodwin behind Darius Garland, which is neither the best nor the worst plan in the world.
Powell is also under contract for a long time. That’s a positive if Powell is playing well, especially in a small market like Cleveland that struggles in appealing to potential free agents. Yet he is 28, and will turn 29 before the end of May. The final year of that deal will have a 32 year-old Powell out on the court. While his shooting should age well, his defense and athleticism will wane as he leaves his prime.
The player the Cavs ideally find is a big wing or small forward who can defend at an elite level but also provide secondary playmaking and creation behind Garland. That player is likely never going to be thrust upon them, so they will need to either hit a home run in the draft or cobble together their impact from multiple slots.
In the end, Powell is in Los Angeles and the Cavs said ‘thanks for nothing.’ A Powell trade probably would have been a good move, but he is also now off the market. Instead the Cavs will have plenty of options around the league as they look to make a move this season.