NY Knicks: Is Norman Powell a dark-horse trade target for the Knicks?

Should Norman Powell be on the NY Knicks‘ radar before next Thursday?

Recently, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange told Bob McCown on his podcast that at some point before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, it’s “close to inevitable” that the Raptors will be moving on from Norman Powell.

The Raptors have not looked like their usual selves since the beginning of the season, and a rebuild is likely on the horizon with pending free agents like Normal Powell and Kyle Lowry amongst others.

Powell has become one of the better shooters on the wing in the NBA and he’s definitely doing his best impression of Julius Randle in that he’s turning the corner toward stardom later on in his career.

Since becoming a starter on the Raptors approximately 2 months ago, Powell has been absolutely lighting it up to the tune of 24 points per game alongside a preposterous, nearly 47% from long-range.

Always known for his defensive prowess, it seems that his offensive abilities are meeting his defense in the middle now in his year 27 season.

In just his last 3 games, he has scored totals of 32, 43, and 17 respectively.

In regards to his contract, Norman Powell does have a player option for about $11 million next season that he would likely decline and would surely test the free agency market to see what he’s worth.

This would be a huge deciding factor in what the Raptors can potentially get in return for him on the open market.

Is Norman Powell the 3-and-D wing that the NY Knicks so desperately need?

As far as his fit on the Knicks, he’d basically provide everything Reggie Bullock provides but at a much higher level, which is why I think Bullock could be traded either in a deal for Powell or elsewhere if Toronto and New York do come to an agreement.

Here is a trade offer I came up with that I believe works for both sides:

In this trade, it provides the Raptors with an expiring contract in Reggie Bullock, who I could see them opting to re-sign as he does fit a lot of what Toronto likes to do on both sides of the ball.

The Raptors also acquire Kevin Knox who’s still got 1 year left on his rookie contract before the team would have to make a decision as to whether or not they would like to bring him back on his 2nd NBA contract.

The Knicks also send their own 2021 1st round pick over in the deal along with a future 2nd rounder.

Norman Powell is known as a team-first guy and a great locker room presence within the Raptors’ organization so adding him into a gelling Knicks squad would only help to improve the chemistry that has been built since Tom Thibodeau took over.

This is a home run trade in my opinion, and should a similar deal be presented to Leon Rose, I’d hate to see him pass it up.