Philadelphia 76ers: Just trade for Norman Powell; it’s not that hard

“How much more help do the Brooklyn Nets need?” – Philadelphia 76ers, and really all, NBA fans.

On Tuesday’s edition of the “Hoops Collective” podcast, ESPN senior reporter Brian Windhorst let it slide that the Brooklyn Nets were in hot pursuit of Norman Powell from the shockingly bad Toronto Raptors. Needless to say, Twitter had feelings.

While this news shouldn’t be too surprising, as Powell is one of the best names on the trade market, hits free agency at the end of the year, and could find a long-term home with an over the cap contender thanks to his Bird Rights, the idea of Brooklyn adding yet another double-digit scorer to a team with four already feel like overkill.

Fortunately for fans in the 215, if Daryl Morey wants to cut off Nets GM Sean Marks from assembling an Eastern Conference Infinity Gauntlet and secure his team the apple of Brooklyn’s eye, the Philadelphia 76ers should be able to field the best offer from the field for Norman Powell’s services.

Landing Norman Powell could very much be a reality for the Philadelphia 76ers.

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The last time I wrote about Norman Powell – to break the fourth wall a little bit – I was met with a fair bit of pushback because many assumed he was in the middle of a statistical bubble brought on by injuries and luck.

Kyle Lowry had been out for a handful of games, elevating Powell from a sixth man role to a full-time starter, and his stats sharply went “to the moon” as a result, averaging 16.5 points in 34.2 minutes of action on 51 percent shooting from the field and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.

While those numbers were unquestionably impressive, even on a team as unimpressive as the Raptors, surrendering the kind of assets needed to bring in Powell – likely Tyrese Maxey, Terrence Furgeson, Vincent Poirier, a 2021 top-20 protected first, and pair of unprotected seconds – for a player who could fall back to earth was understandably rich for many a fan’s blood.

Fast forward a month into the future, and Powell’s numbers have actually improved from a statistical standpoint, scoring an average of 23.6 points in 34.6 minutes while hitting 52.3 percent of his 15.8 field goals and 44.4 percent of his 7.3 3 pointers over the past 27 games.

Now sure, Powell still has his detractors. He’s not a particularly adept passer and actually set a Raptors franchise record for the most points scored in a game without an assist at 43 on March 17th. If you feel that way, I get that, but even Powell’s most hardened oppositionists have to admit that Powell is both a high-volume scorer; which, you know, is arguably the Sixers’ biggest needs both right now and moving forward.

Just for context, the Sixers as a team only average 29.1 3 point shots per game, which ranks a brutal 28th overall league-wide. While they do make those shots at a 37.1 percent clip, which ranks 13th overall, the Sixers’ lack of elite exterior volume is a big reason why an offense featuring three players averaging 15 or more points per game is only averaging the sixth-most points in the league, trailing the next by over five points per game.

Transplanting Powell onto the Sixers would surely help to fix that problem, as his 44.4 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc on 7.3 would instantly unseat Seth Curry and Danny Green respectfully for the team’s top statistical performer.

But wait, it gets better.

Not only can Powell perch himself on the wings, set off-ball screens, and run around the court J.J. Redick-style to fish for an open 3, but he’s also a more than capable inside scorer who takes an average of six shots attempts a night from within 10 feet of the basket, and 6.3 shots on two-plus dribbles a night, both of which are aspects of an offense the Sixers have sorely lacked as of late.

Could you even imagine a world where Doc Rivers could throw a quarter of shooters like Powell, *Green, Curry, and Shake Milton at opposing teams with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid mucking it up in the paint down low? Factor in *Mike Scott and Matisse Thybulle, and the Sixers would have a very impressive eight-man rotation heading into the postseason, with the potential to stretch that out to nine if a player like George Hill becomes available via the buyout market.

*Yes, you read that correctly. The absolute best part of trading for Powell is that he’s only making $10.8 million in this final year of his contract – assuming he declines an $11.6 million player option for 2021-22 – which means the Sixers could conceivably pull off the trade without surrendering the contracts of Green and Scott to get the deal done. That sort of addition without subtraction from Rivers’ most often used rotation would surely help to keep the team’s chemistry intact, all the while bolstering the offensive firepower of a team that’s already pretty darn good.

As things presently stand, Norman Powell probably won’t be the biggest name moved at the 2021 NBA trade deadline. No, that honor will likely go to Kyle Lowry and maybe even Victor Oladipo, assuming the Houston Rockets come down from their crazy asking price. But just because Powell’s name isn’t frequently present in households around the continental United States doesn’t mean he can’t be an incredibly impactful player for a team looking to add a ruthless scorer to their rotation. If that was the case, the Brooklyn Nets would be looking to hawk Spencer Dinwiddie elsewhere instead of to a Raptors that that could look very different by April 1st. Fortunately, the Philadelphia 76ers can outgun any offer Sean Marks has in his quiver and thus should be able to win what will surely be a long string of battles between the two franchises for a spot in the Finals.