The NBA is experiencing a massive wave of injuries to start the 2026-27 season, particularly to title-contending teams and their most visible stars. The Chicago Bulls can help several of those franchises — and themselves — with a simple trade of Norman Powell.
The Oklahoma City Thunder lost Jalen Williams for the year. The Minnesota Timberwolves will be without Anthony Edwards for roughly two months. Kawhi Leonard is already sidelined in Toronto. Tyrese Haliburton is out again for the Indiana Pacers.
Jalen Duren, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Paolo Banchero are out of action for Detroit, Utah and Orlando, respectively.
For any team in need of an extra guard and/or an All-Star-caliber scorer, Powell is surely available for the right price.
The NBA is getting crushed by injuries already this season
Oklahoma City won the title two years ago behind Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder were hoping that duo would carry them back to the mountaintop. That dream went out the window when Williams suffered a gruesome ankle injury in just the third game of the season.
Edwards underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee and could be out for up to two months. Haliburton, who missed all of last season after tearing his Achilles in the aforementioned Finals loss to Oklahoma City, injured his left hamstring and will miss at least a few weeks.
The Raptors will be without Leonard, who, despite having a fairly healthy 2025-26 campaign, is already dealing with left knee problems. Utah, which had realistic dreams of making a playoff push this season, will have to live without Jackson Jr. for 6 to 8 weeks after he tore his MCL.
Perhaps nothing sums up the recent injury bug more than this: On Wednesday, Oct. 28, 79 players were listed on the league's injury reports — about 15 percent of the entire NBA.
A Norman Powell trade could be coming sooner than expected
As soon as the ink dried on Powell's team-friendly, tradeable contract this past summer, his exit from Chicago was inevitable. The 33-year-old is a square peg in a round, rebuilding hole. He's one of the league's most underrated scorers, was an All-Star last season with the Miami Heat, and may legitimately be retired by the time the Bulls are contenders again.
He's far more valuable to Chicago as a trade chip than as a player. And that value may have skyrocketed in just a few weeks.
The Thunder are pick-rich and will need to replace Williams' offense. The Timberwolves can't risk falling too far back in the Western Conference standings, and LaMelo Ball isn't a picture of health anyway. The Pacers could use a player like Powell as depth and insurance in case Haliburton keeps struggling with injuries.
What should make Powell even more attractive to those teams? He's on what is essentially an expiring contract and won't clog up the books past this season.
The Bulls were trading Powell at some point in hopes of acquiring draft picks or young players. Given the current injury situation around the league, they may not have to wait long to cash in.
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