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NBA: The 6 big winners and losers of the trade deadline

By Agustin Ibanez-Baldor

Nikola Vucevic (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images)
Nikola Vucevic (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors Norman Powell (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

NBA Trade Deadline loser No. 1: Portland Trail Blazers

What? WHY. The Portland Trail Blazers only made one move at the deadline, shipping out Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood for Norman Powell.

It just makes zero sense to me. GTJ is younger, cheaper, more controllable (RFA this summer), and plays more defense than Norman Powell. A team with a top-six offense and a bottom-five defense should not be making these types of moves. Rodney Hood has a non-guaranteed $10 million contract next season and can be waived for space. That type of contract almost always gets you a pick on the trade market. A bit squandered.

Powell is a good player. And he may play really well for the Blazers. But this lowers their floor as a team without doing anything substantial to its ceiling. And leverage 101 is Powell declining his player option to force POR to overpay to keep the guy they gave up assets for. Yuck.

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