Norman Powell Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G
Born: 05/25/93
Height: 6-3 / 1.91
Weight:215 lbs. / 97.5 kg.
Salary: $10,865,952
Born: 05/25/93
Height: 6-3 / 1.91
Weight:215 lbs. / 97.5 kg.
Salary: $10,865,952
Mike Trudell: Fred Van Vleet and Kyle Lowry will remain out due to respective injuries for tonight’s Raptors game against the Lakers in Tampa. DeAndre Bembry and Gary Trent, Jr. (traded for Norman Powell) have started the last few games with rookie Malachi Flynn playing well off the bench.
Norman Powell: I wouldn’t say I had NO idea a trade might be on the table. I understand the way things work — and I knew my situation, as well as the team’s. I’m coming up on free agency. We were 11th in the East. I’m in a position where I can help a contender (and I’ll do that). They’re in a position where maybe they want to get younger (and they did that).
Norman Powell: I kept it together for a while. Saw OG, had a good conversation with him. He was confused about the trade as well, but we broke it down a little together, and I think that helped both of us. A lot of other guys from the team came through and I spoke with them. Just a lot of you got this and whatnot, everyone wanting the best for me in Portland.
Norman Powell: And then I saw Jama Mahlalela. Jama is one of our assistant coaches, and he was also my very first coach when I got to Toronto. He’s known me literally since Summer League, and I’ve spent a lot of time working with him super closely. And he came in to give me a hug, and, man … I just heard it in his voice. Like, he was reassuring me. But then I just heard that tiny little crack in his voice — and that was it. After that, it was a wrap. It was straight-up waterworks. I started breaking down crying … all the memories that I’d been holding back for those last couple of days, they came rushing back in.
Norman Powell: So by the time I ran into Fred, it had been a minute now since those waterworks. But if you’ve ever cried like that, you know: even after that sh*t dries … you’re still not fooling anyone. And Fred obviously doesn’t miss a thing. First thing he says when he sees me, he goes, “Oh, man. You was crying?” And I just sort of hang my head a little, and laugh. And then Fred laughs. He’s like, “It’s alright, brother. Thugs cry too. It’s cool, bro.”
