ORLANDO, FLORIDA - MARCH 26: Norman Powell #24 of the Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
As hard as it was to stomach for both sides, the Toronto Raptors trading Norman Powell to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood was a move that simply had to be consummated.
Portland, looking for a third scorer to take the pressure off of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, landed their man in Powell, while the Raptors, got a cheaper, younger alternative that could fit into their core down the road in Trent.