A newly signed veteran could quickly become one of the league’s most closely watched trade candidates, though the Chicago Bulls' emerging young core may give the team reason to keep him.
The Chicago Bulls haven’t even tipped off the Tiago Splitter era, and already, there’s chatter about them having one of the NBA’s hottest trade chips.
The dawn of this new era doesn't smack of an all-out rebuild, given the talent and undiscovered ceilings of Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, plus the excitement around No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson. The Bulls aren’t tearing everything down to the studs; however, many projections have Chicago sitting at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference come April 2027.
It’s still a young roster, which made the signing 11-year veteran shooting guard Norman Powell all the more intriguing.
Bleacher Report highlighted Powell as one of its “5 NBA Stars Who Could Dominate Trade Rumors This Season.”
Powell, 33, signed a two-year deal with the Bulls after earning his first All-Star nod with the Miami Heat in his contract year. The Bulls hold a team option for 2027-28. Chicago was looking for reliable perimeter shooting, an area in which Powell has thrived: last season, he shot 38 percent on three-pointers en route to 21.7 points per game in 58 appearances (52 starts). The prior season with the Los Angeles Clippers, he started all 60 games he played, with a career-high 21.8 points per game and a tick under 42 percent from downtown.
Zach Buckley, BR’s NBA analyst, speculates: “As an efficient support scorer … with a fiery three-ball, loads of playoff experience and some self-creation chops, he'd be a real get for a win-now shopper needing an offensive lift.”
Alongside Powell, the article mentions the Anthony Davis of the Washington Wizards, Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks, Darius Garland of the Clippers, and Tyler Herro, Powell’s former teammate in Miami who was displaced in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Oct 22, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell (left) and Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (right) check out their championship prior to a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY SportsThat nugget about postseason experience makes sense. Powell played all but one of the Toronto Raptors’ playoff games during their run to the 2019 NBA Championship. He averaged 6.5 points in roughly 16 minutes per game. He also put up some of his best scoring numbers in his three playoff runs in L.A., starting all seven postseason games for the Clippers in 2025.
The beauty of this season is that the Bulls don’t have to trade Powell. Should the Bulls show they’re ahead of schedule and get outstanding performances from the young nucleus of Giddey, Buzelis, Wilson, and newcomer Nic Claxton, it would make sense to hold on to a veteran leader.
Conversely, if the Bulls dwindle to a 30-win season, circumstances change. Draft capital becomes important. And teams looking for 20 points per game and a veteran piece for a playoff push become antsy.
Either way, the Chicago roster stands to benefit from the mentorship of Powell, whose influence will be an important ingredient in teaching the team how to win and compete in the long run.
