The NBA trade deadline is set for 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 25.
As the deadline looms, Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell is reported to be in high demand by a figure that is nearing half the teams in the league. Powell, who is having a career year from both a scoring and efficiency standpoint, has a player option worth $11.6 million for the 2021-22 season that he is very likely to decline, meaning he is also an impending free agent.
MORE: Tracking the biggest trade rumours ahead on deadline day
Following a 22-point performance in a win over the Denver Nuggets, Powell addressed how he felt with his name serving as the centre of a number of rumours.
"Obviously, I spent my whole career here and, you know, the ups and downs, blood, sweat and tears," Powell told reporters.
"Being a part of history, winning a championship and obviously I wouldn't want to leave – being traded away," the 27-year-old continued, "so it is what it is but I'm just focused on myself and, like I said, what I can control."
As part of controlling what he can, Powell admitted to reporters that he tends to ignore when rumours are mentioned to him by friends and family, going as far as admitting that he rarely follows sports coverage and doesn't check social media to avoid these types of rumours and stories.
While he can block certain things out, Powell did add that the vibe around certain members of the organization has been sombre in recent days, saying "it's weird around me, I feel like with some people in the organization I'm always being asked what can happen, this that and the other – I tell them the same thing every single day.
"Some people in the organization, on the medical staff were emotional and I'm telling them to relax and calm down but it's a business, you build connections with people … it doesn't really bother me one type of way … whatever happens, I can't speak on emotions that aren't here right now. I'm gonna wait and see just like everybody else."
Powell, who was acquired on draft night by the Raptors in 2015, has made a number of countless memories with the franchise, including the title in 2019 that he alluded to earlier. In his sixth season, he is averaging a career-best 19.6 points while shooting 49.8 percent from the field, 43.9 percent from deep and 86.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Stick with NBA.com for more updates surrounding Powell and the Raptors ahead of the NBA's trade deadline.
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