Portland Trail Blazers guard Norman Powell, as expected by most, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, according to a report from Chris Haynes of YahooSports.
Powell, according to the report, plans to decline his $11.6 million player option for next season with the hope of landing a more lucrative long-term deal.
The Blazers will be under pressure to re-sign Powell, acquired in a March trade that sent Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood to Toronto. Trent, 22, the team’s 2018 second-round pick, developed into a strong rotational player for the Blazer before being traded to the Raptors for the more experienced and versatile Powell, 28.
“We made the Norman Powell trade hoping that he’d be a long-term part of our future,” Neil Olshey, Blazers president of basketball operations, said on June 7.
Powell, in 27 games with the Blazers, averaged 17 points while shooting 36.1% on threes. He shot the three at a 43.9% clip while with Toronto for 42 games last season.
Powell’s versatility on offense and ability to play sound perimeter defense should make him highly sought after on the open market.
The Blazers, well over the salary cap, will be able to re-sign Powell using his Bird rights but that could mean surpassing the luxury tax threshold, which was 132.6 million last season.
NBA teams can begin negotiating with free agents on Aug. 2 and signing them at 9:01 a.m., Aug. 6.
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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