The Miami Heat have ensured that their roster will have some new life in the 2025-26 season following their trade for veteran guard Norman Powell.
The Heat were able to strike a deal to acquire the 32-year-old in a three-team trade that also involved the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz.
While Powell hasn’t played a minute for the Heat yet, the trade for him is a pretty easy deal to like from Miami’s perspective. Let’s take a look at why that’s the case.
1. What a bargain
It isn’t very common for a team to be able to trade for a borderline star on a reasonable contract without having to give up much in return.
Somehow, that’s what team president Pat Riley and the Heat were just able to pull off.
Miami only gave up two outgoing pieces in the deal: veterans Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson. While Love is a valued locker room presence and Anderson is capable of providing rotation minutes, neither players was likely going to move the needle for the Heat in the 2025-26 season. This is a low-risk, high-reward deal for Miami.
In the 2023-24 campaign, the Heat agreed to a deal with the Charlotte Hornets for guard Terry Rozier.
Rozier came to Miami on a contract that looked more reasonable at the time, and it has kept him under club control for multiple seasons. In that trade, the Heat had to give up veteran guard Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick.
It’s no secret that the Rozier deal has aged poorly. But the Powell deal is not the Rozier deal. Even if this trade doesn’t pan out, will there be any major regret over the price the Heat had to pay to acquire him?
2. Multiple needs filled
Powell just had the best season of his NBA career, and if he can produce at a similar level this coming season, Miami’s offense could look drastically different.
The Heat struggled on that side of the floor in the 2024-25 campaign, as they finished the regular season ranked 21st in offensive rating and 24th in points per game.
They also ranked near the middle of the pack in many 3-point categories and already lost sharpshooter Duncan Robinson this offseason. Newcomer Simone Fontecchio may be able to help fill that void, but Powell’s addition will also be big when it comes to 3-point shooting.
The same goes for Powell’s impact on the offense at large. After he averaged 21.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this past season while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from deep, look for Miami to be less stagnant on the offensive end.
3. Contract year Powell?
Powell comes to the Heat on a deal that has just one season remaining. He’ll make a bit more than $20 million in the 2025-26 campaign.
Club control is always nice, but there are a number of reasons to like the fact that Powell will be playing on an expiring deal.
Take your pick:
He could be extra motivated to have another big season and increase his value.
If the Heat were to put a bigger trade together at some point, his contract would be easy to move.
The 2025-26 season should give Miami a sort of trial run with Powell to see how the partnership goes, and if it’s a success, the Heat may have the inside track to retain him in contract talks next offseason.
At the end of the day, Powell’s contract situation comes with a lot of flexibility for the Heat, and that isn’t a bad thing to have.
4. Fun meter rising
The 2024-25 season was decidedly NOT a fun one for the Heat or their fans.
Between distractions and a lack of on-the-court success, there wasn’t a whole lot to get excited about, and the season ended with a thud when the Heat (who snuck into the playoffs despite finishing below .500) were embarrassed by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now, the odds of a fun 2025-26 season for Miami may be rising.
The Eastern Conference will unfortunately have a very different look this coming season due to some devastating injuries to star players. That’s never a good thing for the league, but it does open up the conference quite a bit, which could benefit a team like the Heat.
Nobody here is saying Miami is going to compete for a title in the 2025-26 campaign now that Powell is in the fold, but what if the team has a fun regular season, nabs an outright playoff spot and has a manageable matchup in the first round? What if that turns into a manageable matchup in the second round?
We’ve seen the Heat tap into their bank of postseason magic before, and if the vibes are right this coming season, maybe something similar could happen again. When expectations are low, that’s oftentimes when a team rises up and provides fans with a fun brand of basketball.