Norman Powell joined the Los Angeles Clippers on February 4, 2022, as part of a blockbuster trade. The Clippers acquired Powell in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a second-round pick in 2025. This trade reunited Powell with his former Toronto Raptors teammate, Kawhi Leonard. While the trade was widely praised, it also drew some criticism.
In a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, NBA analyst Brian Windhorst provided surprising insights into Powell’s trade. During his conversation with Powell, Windhorst mentioned that the trade garnered significant criticism from rival franchise owners.
“The day that trade went down, it was like a couple of days before the trade deadline. I was actually in LA at breakfast with an owner. And I don’t know if Woj, whoever broke the trade, we were sitting at breakfast when the trade, he was so, Norm, he was so pissed off. He was like, I cannot believe that the Clippers got Norm Powell. You know, this is like, we got to put a stop to this.” Windhorst said.
Brian Windhorst tells Norman Powell that NBA owners would get mad at how the Clippers would trade for talent and the trade for Powell may have been "the straw that broke the camel's back":
— Andy (@APH00PS) December 13, 2024
Windhorst: "I was in LA at breakfast with an owner and… he was so, Norm… he was so… pic.twitter.com/P1ZKTWLxop
After joining the Clippers, Powell quickly established himself as a star player. In the 2022-23 season, he averaged 17.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists throughout 60 games. During the 2023-24 NBA season, he averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 76 games.
Brian Windhorst Explores How Powell’s Trade Fuels Call For Stricter CBA Standards
Powell is currently averaging 23.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in the 2024-25 NBA season. Despite Powell’s amazing efforts, the team is in a challenging situation as star player Kawhi Leonard has been sidelined for a long time. Leonard sustained a lingering knee injury during last season’s playoffs and has yet to make his 2024-25 NBA season debut.
Powell’s trade’s financial repercussions sparked significant frustration among rival team owners. In a discussion on The Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst emphasized that this trade marked a crucial turning point, motivating NBA owners to push for stricter regulations in the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
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And I don’t know if Woj, whoever broke the trade, we were sitting at breakfast when the trade, he was so, Norm, he was so pissed off. He was like, I cannot believe that the Clippers got Norm Powell. You know, this is like, we got to put a stop to this
“so I don’t know if you ever heard that, but like, you know, you getting traded to the Clippers might’ve like forced all these new, I mean, it was going to happen anyway, but I’m sure people like the rich get richer, et cetera I think it was going to happen anyway, but it was kind of funny.” Windhorst said.
Norman Powell's stats vs. Portland:
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) December 4, 2024
30 POINTS
5 THREE POINTERS
5 ASSISTS
4 REBOUNDS pic.twitter.com/lEArKGwG03
The Clippers are currently ranked 9th in the Western Conference, with a record of 14 wins and 12 losses.
