The Los Angeles Clippers have generally exceeded many expectations and managed relatively well without Kawhi Leonard this season, led by James Harden. Without Leonard, the Clips weren’t supposed to be 14-11 and in sixth place in the West, and yet, they are. Still, we don’t quite know who they are. With Leonard’s return still unknown, the Clippers might be persuaded to trade away their sharpshooter, Norman Powell. With the way he’s playing, who wouldn’t want him?
Playoff Contenders Should Zero In On Clippers Sharpshooter
LA Clippers Sharpshooter Norman Powell Could be Several Teams’ Missing Playoff Piece
The former Raptor home crowd favorite is having a career year in points for Los Angeles. Powell is shooting 48.6% from three and 49.2% from the field, averaging 23.6 PPG. It’s his best points total since his first season as a Clipper. Outside of Harden, Powell has been the Clippers best player. You could argue that he’s having a similar effect on the Clippers, as reflected in Buddy Hield with the Golden State Warriors. Both players share an elite skill set—three-point shooting—while significantly keeping their teams competitive and winning games.
In Powell’s case, he’s shooting the lights out for the Clippers, and it’s proving to be the perfect help for Harden, who is far past his ability to carry teams on a night-in and night-out basis. While Harden is playing really well this season in his own right, Powell has been the Clippers x-factor.
For this reason, teams should try their absolute hardest to pry Powell away from Los Angeles over the next couple of months as the NBA moves toward the February trade deadline. Powell’s play is also why the Clippers might actually entertain moving him, considering what they could get in return.
One Team Who Should Try for LA’s Sharpshooter
The Memphis Grizzlies are a team running hot in the Western Conference. They could be more of a threat if they made a trade for someone of Powell’s skillset. Memphis appears poised to contend for more than a playoff spot. They look like a team that could compete for a championship. Powell would give them perimeter shooting and a legitimate offensive threat outside Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, who are each effective long-distance shooters, respectively. Unfortunately, trading for Powell would likely mean letting go, possibly someone like former Clipper Luke Kennard. However, Powell is more gifted offensively and can also get to the rim more effectively than Kennard, which gives the Grizzlies a more flexible offensive player.
Throw in a first-round draft pick and a secondary pick with Kennard; that’s a solid deal for the Grizzlies. The Clippers, despite a fine season so far, are not championship contenders. Even when Leonard returns to play, there’s no guarantee the Clippers will still be in a playoff-contending spot. There’s also no guarantee of how long Leonard’s knee problems will be kept at bay so he can stay on the floor. The toss-up here is too hard to serve a grounded verdict. If the Clippers make Powell available, a handful of teams on a collision course with the postseason should try hard to snag the three-point specialist for themselves. Memphis should be one of those teams. As for Powell, his season pace only continues to make him a trade candidate for a championship-contending team. In the end, that might work out just fine for him.
