Norman Powell wanted to stay in Miami. He just couldn’t make it happen.
After signing a two-year deal with the Bulls, Powell said his preference was to remain with the Heat, where he earned his first All-Star nod at age 32. “Did I want to return to Miami?
Yeah, I did,” Powell said, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “But obviously, it’s a business.
They made their decisions and made their moves and things happen. And it is what it is.”
Miami’s cap situation kept the team from bringing him back on the kind of deal his play last season had put him in line for. Instead, Powell heads to Chicago with a clear idea of what he wants to bring.
“I know where I’m at in my career,” he said. “Obviously, the whole focal point is winning and wanting to get back to that championship stage.
But just looking at the opportunity that was in front of me, that’s going to allow me to be able to play my game of basketball how I want to play it and be able to help pass on knowledge.”
Powell isn’t the only one leaving Miami with mixed emotions. Jaime Jaquez Jr., now heading to the Bucks as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, said the move hit him hard.
The fourth-year wing, drafted 18th overall by the Heat in 2023, called it “definitely devastating for sure,” adding, “I love Miami. I love this city.
It really felt like home to me.”
Jaquez said the reaction fans saw in the viral video of him finding out while playing pickup basketball was real, though he already knew the trade was coming that day and had gone to the gym to keep his mind busy. Even with the sting of leaving, he said he’s looking forward to the chance to “really be able to shine” with the new-look Bucks.
There’s still uncertainty around other Heat names, too. Keshad Johnson remains without a qualifying offer, but the 2026 dunk contest champion said he’d welcome a return if the door opens.
“If the opportunity presents itself, I for sure want to be a Heat. For sure,” he said, adding, “I love the 305 forever.”
Johnson also said he’d be open to a two-way deal in Miami, though he noted he has spoken with several teams around the league this summer.
The Heat did make one key decision Monday, declining to rescind their two-way qualifying offer for second-year center Vladislav Goldin, according to Chiang. That means the offer stays in place and can’t be taken back. Goldin, a 7-foot center, has put up 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks over five Summer League games between Las Vegas and California.
And then there’s Udonis Haslem, who jumped into the conversation after Draymond Green criticized him on a podcast for what Green viewed as a double standard between his comments on Green’s 2022 altercation with Jordan Poole and Bam Adebayo’s recent confrontation with Tyler Herro. Haslem answered Sunday with a lengthy social media post.
“If you think your big 32 year old, 3 or 4 rings at the time having a- swinging on a 23 year old Jordan Poole at the time is the same then you are even more delusional that I thought,” Haslem wrote. “Anyone who knows Bam knows he’s strong as baby bear.
If he would’ve unloaded on Tyler 100% it’s over. You fired off on that young boy like it was a club punch and you never met him before in your life.”
In Other News...
Heat Quietly Made A Roster Choice That Could Matter Up Front
Miamis front office made a small but meaningful roster call this week by keeping one of its two-way spots tied to a developing big man who has already started to show why the organization is interested. The 7-footer has been part of the Heats summer league mix since arriving as an undrafted addition in 2025, and his play has given the team another look at a player whose size alone makes him relevant in a frontcourt that always seems to need depth.
The Heat still have flexibility with two-way contracts, and Tre Donaldson already occupies one of those slots, so the picture up front is not settled yet. But Goldins progress has put him in position to keep pushing for a larger opportunity if Miami does not bring in another big, which is exactly the kind of quiet roster development that can matter once the season starts and injuries or matchups begin to shape the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Legend Weighs In As Familiar Locker Room Tension Resurfaces
Udonis Haslem stepped into the conversation around a recent locker room dustup involving Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, two players who have spent enough time around the Heat to know how quickly emotions can flare when the stakes rise. The longtime Miami voice downplayed the significance of the incident, framing it as something that has been inflated far beyond the moment itself rather than a sign of deeper trouble inside the room.
Haslem also said he has spoken with both players, though he kept the details of those conversations to himself. For Miami, the more interesting part may be what comes next, because the altercation surfaced in the middle of trade chatter and the league does not appear inclined to step in with any punishment, leaving the Heat to manage the fallout internally. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron Rumor Just Put A Surprising New Team In Play
LeBron James is expected to reveal his next NBA destination soon, and the rumor mill has already started stretching to fit all kinds of possibilities. One of the more surprising names to surface is Indiana, where the Pacers could theoretically line up enough room to chase him at the veteran minimum if the right dominoes fall.
The cap math is tight, and it would take a very specific sequence of moves to make the idea work, which is why the speculation feels more like a thought exercise than a true lead. Still, the timing is enough to keep attention on the wider field of possibilities, with Miami among the teams that naturally belong in any LeBron conversation as the decision approaches. [Read more 🡒]