Portland Trail Blazers: 5 key contract decisions to make in the next year

Decision #5 – Norman Powell free agency

The last and most difficult decision is the upcoming free agency of Norman Powell.

Powell has an $11.8 million player option in 2021/22 that he is a lock to decline so he can re-negotiate a new deal. Powell’s market is around $15 – $20 million a year; he will ink a new deal in 2021 free agency. The main question will be if he signs this new deal in Portland, or on a new team.

The Blazers can offer him the same as everyone else. The difference is though, they are the only team that can go over the cap to re-sign him, as they retained his bird rights when he was traded from the Raptors.

This means that they don’t need cap space to bring him back.

Powell and his agent may have already had a wink wink deal with the Blazers about bringing him back next year on a number agreed by both parties. Often, agents and teams agree to this type of deal before a trade is locked in.

If this hasn’t happened, then the Blazers’ poor finish to the season and potential first-round exit could hurt Norm and a potential return.

The Blazers have many important decisions to be made over the next six months. The rest of this season and the playoffs will be key factors in this decision-making process.