If all goes as it's expected to, then the Orlando Magic shouldn't hesitate to call the LA Clippers about Norman Powell. Orlando is in dire need of reliable offense from its backcourt players, while LA could be looking to offload salaries if James Harden and Kawhi Leonard return for another season.
Nothing is guaranteed to transpire, but if that scenario plays out, Powell could be the player whom the Clippers attempt to trade this summer.
2025-26 will mark the final season of the five-year, $90 million contract Powell signed in 2021. He'll make $20,482,758 on an expiring deal that the Clippers are certain to view as a rare trade asset for a team that's struggled to make meaningful improvements around Harden and Leonard.
In the event that such transpires, the Magic would have the assets and impetus to pursue a trade for a player who projects to address two of their greatest weaknesses.
Orlando has a surplus of draft picks at its disposal, including two first-round selections in 2025. It also has a combination of quality young players and tradable contracts to get the deal over the finish line, including Cole Anthony, Goga Bitadze, Tristan Da Silva, and Jonathan Isaac.
If the Magic can ultimately construct a mutually beneficial trade, then Powell could be the missing ingredient to help the franchise take the next step toward contending.
Norman Powell is the offensive player the Magic desperately need
Orlando will enter the 2025 offseason with two clear issues to address: Unreliable three-point shooting and the general absence of reliable production from the guard positions. The Magic ranked dead last in both three-point field goals made and three-point field goal percentage, and finished No. 29 in points via guards.
To rectify this issue and properly complement the star-caliber duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic would do well to bring Powell into the loop.
Powell finished the 2024-25 season averaging 21.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.0 three-point field goals made per game on .484/.418/.804 shooting. He's averaged 17.6 points per contest since 2021, shooting 41.7 percent from distance across that 310-game sample size.
An elite three-point shooter in both volume and efficiency, as well as a complete scoring threat, Powell could instantly elevate Orlando to a higher tier.
It would still behoove the Magic to make an upgrade at point guard, as Powell thrives in catch-and-shoot situations. He buried 45.2 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-point field goal attempts in 2024-25, and knocked down an astonishing 49.6 percent of his shots of that nature in 2023-24.
An elite catch-and-shoot specialist, Powell would provide elite spacing for Banchero and Wagner regardless of what happens at point guard, but a legitimate upgrade would round the group into form.
Norman Powell fits what Orlando is building
While not necessarily an elite defender, Powell is no stranger to environments in which defense is the top priority. That's evident in the fact that the Clippers allowed just 107.4 points per 100 possessions with him on the court in 2024-25.
That success seemingly bodes well for a Magic team that will look to build upon ranking No. 2 in the NBA in defensive rating this past season.
Furthermore, Powell is no stranger to playing alongside players who need a high volume of touches. He thrived with Paul George, Harden, and Leonard during his Clippers career, and did the same with the likes of Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet during his Toronto Raptore tenure.
That's positive news for a Magic team that would likely entertain closing out games with a five-man lineup of Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr., Powell, Jalen Suggs, and Wagner.
Regardless of how Orlando would approach its lineups, Powell would fill a glaring void. He's the elite sharpshooter whom the Magic have thus far struggled to introduce to the rotation, as well as a productive all-around scoring threat with 91 games of postseason experience.
Compounded by the championship he contributed to winning in 2019, Powell is everything the Magic have been missing along the wings.