The Portland Trail Blazers were not the only team chasing Norman Powell in lead up to last week’s trade deadline. According to Jake Fischer at Bleacher Report, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors discussed a deal involving now bought-out center Andre Drummond and Powell.
The Cavaliers discussed a framework of sending Drummond to Toronto. Before those conversations fell apart, they showed significant interest in acquiring Norman Powell, sources said.
The deal obviously fell through with the Blazers landing Powell for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood a couple of hours before the deadline.
The story highlights the permutations the Cavaliers went through in their attempts to trade Drummond before he was ultimately bought out and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Fischer reports that Drummond had interest from multiple teams, with the Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets in play before the buyout.