- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,267,350
- Reaction score
- 59
The Bulls' decision to sign guard Norman Powell in free agency was a puzzling one to most outsiders and analysts. Chicago is rebuilding through young talent and draft picks, and Powell — who is 33 years old and coming off his first career All-Star selection — doesn't align with that.
Powell has been a staple on playoff teams throughout his career, making the postseason in nine of his 11 seasons between Toronto (including winning the title in 2019), Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami. Meanwhile, the Bulls have missed the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons.
Now, Powell projects to be a veteran leader on a team with several young, promising players. Whether he'll be able to bring that inexperienced team to the postseason is yet to be determined, and in an interview with Fadeaway World's Mark Medina, the tenured NBA guard was honest in describing his new team's outlook this year.
"We have the potential to be really good," Powell told Fadeaway World. "But we also have the potential to be really bad."
Powell continued by saying he was looking forward to building the team's aggressive mentality and mentoring his younger teammates, but the eyes of fans and media members were drawn to his initial comment.
The veteran sharpshooter took to social media on Monday afternoon to express his displeasure at how his words had been taken out of context. Powell posted a pair of emojis rolling their eyes on his X (formerly Twitter) account, followed by, "One line quotes just to make social media have a field day."
"People will see things on social media and run with their own opinions and assumptions," Powell replied in a separate comment. "I know what I said and how I meant it. Everything else is just outside noise, but it's fun to go back and forth with fans that think they know everything."
Feb 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) and Miami Heat guard NormanPowell (24) battle for the ball during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Chicago signed Powell to a two-year contract on the opening day of free agency, which will pay him roughly $22 million annually. The deal has a team option after this year, and Powell could be a strong candidate to be traded to a contender midseason, once he becomes eligible on Dec. 15.
Powell is playing his best basketball more than a decade into his career. Over the past two seasons, the former second-round pick has averaged 21.8 points per game while shooting 47.7% overall, 40.0% from deep and 81.6% on free throws. Powell was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career during his lone season in Miami, in which he started 52 games.
The 6-foot-3 guard has been a year-in and year-out consistent performer since he emerged for the NBA Champion Raptors in 2019. Chicago knows that it is getting a capable wing defender and a player who has shot 39.6% from three in his career, but the rest of the team is a mystery box heading into the fall.
No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson was expected to need development and have growing pains, but Summer League showed that the former Tar Heel may already be ready for the spotlight. Third-year forward Matas Buzelis has shown promise so far in his career, though it's yet to be seen whether he's a future superstar or a complement to one.
The Bulls are widely projected to miss the postseason, but if either one of those two breaks out, anything is possible. Especially with a veteran like Powell leading the charge, Chicago could far exceed its expectations.
Continue reading...
Powell has been a staple on playoff teams throughout his career, making the postseason in nine of his 11 seasons between Toronto (including winning the title in 2019), Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami. Meanwhile, the Bulls have missed the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons.
Now, Powell projects to be a veteran leader on a team with several young, promising players. Whether he'll be able to bring that inexperienced team to the postseason is yet to be determined, and in an interview with Fadeaway World's Mark Medina, the tenured NBA guard was honest in describing his new team's outlook this year.
"We have the potential to be really good," Powell told Fadeaway World. "But we also have the potential to be really bad."
Powell continued by saying he was looking forward to building the team's aggressive mentality and mentoring his younger teammates, but the eyes of fans and media members were drawn to his initial comment.
The veteran sharpshooter took to social media on Monday afternoon to express his displeasure at how his words had been taken out of context. Powell posted a pair of emojis rolling their eyes on his X (formerly Twitter) account, followed by, "One line quotes just to make social media have a field day."
"People will see things on social media and run with their own opinions and assumptions," Powell replied in a separate comment. "I know what I said and how I meant it. Everything else is just outside noise, but it's fun to go back and forth with fans that think they know everything."
You must be registered for see images attach
Feb 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) and Miami Heat guard NormanPowell (24) battle for the ball during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Chicago signed Powell to a two-year contract on the opening day of free agency, which will pay him roughly $22 million annually. The deal has a team option after this year, and Powell could be a strong candidate to be traded to a contender midseason, once he becomes eligible on Dec. 15.
Powell is playing his best basketball more than a decade into his career. Over the past two seasons, the former second-round pick has averaged 21.8 points per game while shooting 47.7% overall, 40.0% from deep and 81.6% on free throws. Powell was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career during his lone season in Miami, in which he started 52 games.
The 6-foot-3 guard has been a year-in and year-out consistent performer since he emerged for the NBA Champion Raptors in 2019. Chicago knows that it is getting a capable wing defender and a player who has shot 39.6% from three in his career, but the rest of the team is a mystery box heading into the fall.
No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson was expected to need development and have growing pains, but Summer League showed that the former Tar Heel may already be ready for the spotlight. Third-year forward Matas Buzelis has shown promise so far in his career, though it's yet to be seen whether he's a future superstar or a complement to one.
The Bulls are widely projected to miss the postseason, but if either one of those two breaks out, anything is possible. Especially with a veteran like Powell leading the charge, Chicago could far exceed its expectations.
Continue reading...
