The Miami Heat recently struck a deal to acquire veteran guard Norman Powell in a three-team trade, a move that should give the team a nice lift on offense moving forward.
There are a number of reasons to be excited about the addition, and a source close to the team laid out some of them in specific terms.
For one, Powell’s 3-point shooting is seen as a key part of the move.
“Talked to a source close to the team who reiterated how important Norman Powell’s three point shooting is to this move,” Greg Sylvander of Five Reasons Sports wrote via Discord. “They desperately needed shooting and acquired a good shooter on high volume.”
The source also praised Powell’s competitive edge.
“Also praised Powell as a player with that competitive edge you like to see in ‘Heat players,'” Sylvander wrote.
Sylvander himself then shared that he’s heard a contract extension for Powell could be worth between $80 and $88 million over three years. As it stands now, Powell will be playing on an expiring deal in the 2025-26 season.
“He’s also playing for a contract extension, which I’ve heard 3 years $80-88M as a range of $ floated around for NP,” Sylvander wrote.
If nothing else, the Heat have changed the look of their roster enough this offseason to make the squad a little bit more intriguing heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
Powell just had a season with the Los Angeles Clippers in which some people felt like he was worthy of All-Star recognition. He finished the campaign with averages of 21.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the field and 41.8 percent shooting from long range.
Powell’s 3-point shooting, as indicated by the source, has been a strong point for him over the course of his NBA career. He’s a lifetime 39.8 percent 3-point shooter in the NBA, and over his last two seasons, he’s knocked down 42.6 percent of his triples while averaging 6.0 attempts per game.
At 32, Powell probably isn’t the type of player the Heat can build around for countless years to come, but he’s a solid veteran addition who can help the team both on the court and in the locker room. He also brings some championship pedigree with him to Miami, as he won the 2019 NBA Finals with the Toronto Raptors.
All things considered, it seems like the Heat did well to get Powell at the price they did, and with any luck, the trade will help them bounce back from a miserable 2024-25 campaign.