3 Most Likely Norman Powell Free Agent Destinations

On Tuesday, Portland Trail Blazers guard Norman Powell told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes that he would be declining his $11.6 million player option to test free agency this offseason. The 28-year-old former NBA Champion is coming off of a 2020-21 campaign that saw him averaged a career-high 18.6 points per game on .477/.411/.871 shooting splits.

Considering how he's 28 years old and this could be his last chance at a big payday, it makes sense for Powell to see what kind of offers exist on the open market. Declining his player option also doesn't mean that a return to the Trail Blazers is out of the question, either.

Here's a look at the three most likely free-agent destinations for Powell this offseason.

Norman Powell Rumors

1. Portland Trail Blazers

With trade rumors pointing to the possibility of the Trail Blazers starting the 2021-22 NBA season without one of Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum, it makes sense that the team would do what it can to keep Powell. After all, he finished last season with the third-most points per game on the team. There have been rumors that Powell could seek around $20 million in free agency, which is a lot of money to pay for a player who's averaged double-digit point totals just twice in his career. Still, Portland did send the promising Gary Trent Jr. to the Toronto Raptors to acquire Powell, so they likely don't want to be put in a position where they've lost a young talent for nothing. If the Trail Blazers want to continue competing next season, they might just decide that Powell's worth the money compared to who else is available.

2. Dallas Mavericks

While Luka Doncic is set to be a superstar in the NBA for years to come, the Dallas Mavericks need to add more offense to their team if they want to stay afloat in the Western Conference. They averaged 111.9 points per game last season (18th), so bringing in a player like Powell could help bring that number up. Tim Haradaway Jr. is a free agent and Dallas has been rumored to be thinking about potentially moving on from Kristaps Porzingis, so someone besides Doncic needs to score the ball. Powell showed that he's capable of being a starter for both the Trail Blazers and Raptors last season (58 starts in 69 games), so resuming that role for the Mavericks would show if he's really up to the test.

3. San Antonio Spurs

Like the Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs were in the bottom half of the league when it came to scoring last season (110.9 PPG, 20th). With DeMar DeRozan potentially moving on to another team in free agency, bringing in Powell would help ensure that the offense doesn't dip too much next year. He's obviously not on DeRozan's level, however, Powell could see a lot more volume on a Spurs team that doesn't have that standout star. He also isn't horrible defensively, so he shouldn't have a problem adjusting to coach Gregg Popovich's defensively-oriented playstyle.

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