The Miami Heat have been on the hunt for scoring help this offseason, but had been striking out in their quest to acquire an offensive threat. They finally added some firepower thanks to a three-team trade that was executed on Monday morning, and they’ll be welcoming Norman Powell into the fold for the 2025-26 NBA season.
Does Normal Powell Move The Needle For Miami?
The Heat didn’t have to give up a whole lot in the deal. The only two departing players from the team’s roster will be Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love, both of whom averaged fewer than 7 points per game in 2024-25, making this deal something of a steal for Miami.
#NBA TRADE#Heat Acquire
Norm Powell (1 yr, $20M)#Clippers Acquire
John Collins (1 yr, $26.5M)#Jazz Acquire
Kevin Love (1 yr, $4.15M)
Kyle Anderson (2 yrs, $18.8M)*
2027 2nd Rd Pick (LAC)*Anderson's $9.6M salary for 2026-27 is non-guaranteed.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) July 7, 2025
For the 32-year-old Powell, last season was his most productive of his NBA career. In his third full year with the Los Angeles Clippers, he averaged a career-high 21.8 points per game, and did so while shooting 41.8% from three-point range.
He was considered a snub when he was left off of the All-Star Game roster, and was the second-leading scorer on a Clippers team that took the Denver Nuggets to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs.
So how will he fit in Miami? The team most certainly needed a scoring punch, and Norman Powell will provide just that. The only player on the Heat’s roster from last year that had a higher scoring total than Powell was Tyler Herro, who has a new backcourt mate to take some of the defensive pressure off.
Norm Powell
Tyler Herro
Andrew Wiggins
Bam Adebayo
Kel’el WareTop __ starting 5 in the East. pic.twitter.com/WJm5Fg1BEm
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 7, 2025
It is likely that Herro will slide to point guard in order to facilitate Powell into the starting lineup, with Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, and Kel’el Ware manning the front court.
Powell has developed into a solid defender as well, which will only help the team that finished 7th in fewest points allowed per game.
It appears that the main reason that the Clippers moved on from Powell was their inability to get a new deal done. The player’s contract expires at the end of the upcoming season, and he will be paid $20 million during the upcoming NBA campaign. But for their troubles, Los Angeles is bringing in rim-running power forward John Collins, who fills a massive need for the team at power forward.
The Utah Jazz will receive both Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love from the Heat, as well as a second-round pick from the Clippers, in order to part with Collins.
