Norman Powell says he expected his run in Miami to continue, even after the Heat started making noise about a bigger swing.
Powell, who turned in arguably the best season of his NBA career with Miami last year, said he believed he would be back with the team through most of the season. That changed once the possibility of Giannis Antetokounmpo entering the picture became part of the conversation.
"Honestly, I thought I would be going back to Miami throughout the course of the year. We knew they wanted to get Giannis.
We heard some rumblings that 'Norm and Giannis sounds really good.' So I thought that was the path," Powell said in an interview.
Instead, Powell left in free agency last month and signed with the Chicago Bulls on a two-year, $45-million deal. That contract was more than Miami could offer, even though keeping both Powell and Antetokounmpo would have been possible under the salary cap.
Powell’s departure leaves the Heat still searching for another piece to fit next to their frontcourt. A group built around Antetokounmpo, Powell and Bam Adebayo would have been one of the strongest in the Eastern Conference, but Miami no longer has that option.
The problem for the Heat is simple: they need more scoring punch to stack up with the league’s other top teams in the East, including the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Philadelphia 76ers, meanwhile, are expected to open the season as the favorites, even with the Knicks as the defending champions, after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a lineup that already includes Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Miami is reportedly exploring DeMar DeRozan or Bradley Beal, though Powell may have been the cleaner answer. DeRozan stands out as the best fit of the names mentioned, but his age is a real factor. At 36, he’s no longer the same player he once was.
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The Heats recent first-round draft history has become the kind of topic that tends to linger around a team, especially one that prides itself on squeezing value out of every roster move. Looking back at the last five first-round picks, theres a clear mix of turnover and uncertainty, with several names already on the move and only one still in Miami trying to establish himself after some frustrating stretches with health and production.
Nikola Jovic is still the closest thing the Heat have to a holdover from that group, but even his path has been uneven enough to keep the conversation open. Precious Achiuwa is another reminder of how tricky this stretch has been for Miami, since he moved on and ended up outperforming his draft slot statistically, which only adds to the sense that the franchise has some explaining to do about how these picks have translated. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Could Lose A Veteran Scoring Option At The Worst Time
Miamis search for extra offense has already taken on a familiar shape after the clubs major trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and veteran scoring help is naturally at the center of it. Around the league, the Heat have been connected to a proven bucket-getter whose shot creation and durability would fit the kind of supporting role Miami often looks to fill when it wants to keep pressure on defenses without overloading its stars.
The interest has lingered because this is the sort of move that can stabilize a roster in a hurry, especially for a team trying to round out a new look after a huge swing. For now, there is still no official deal, but the Heats involvement has been strong enough to keep them in the conversation as the situation develops. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Puts More Pressure On Heat To Click Fast In Brutal Cup Group
The Heat drew a particularly unforgiving path in Group B for the NBA Cup, with Indiana, Cleveland, Philadelphia and New York all waiting in a stretch that leaves little margin for a slow start. For Miami, it is another early test of how quickly the roster can settle in and handle the kind of physical, high-stakes games that tend to expose chemistry issues before the season gets fully rolling.
Norman Powells recent comments only added another layer to the backdrop around the team. He said he had expected to be back in Miami before free agency, but wound up leaving for the Chicago Bulls instead, and his decision fit into a broader summer of moving pieces around the Heat. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo is keeping his focus on the season ahead by skipping FIBA competition with Greece so he can stay on track for training camp, a reminder that Miamis competition is already planning to be sharp from the start. [Read more 🡒]