Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale recently listed the Miami Heat’s trade for Norman Powell as the second-most lopsided of the NBA offseason so far, and he’s absolutely right. This trade was so one-sided in Miami’s favor that Heat fans should absolutely still be celebrating it.
The Heat are still in search of their next star player to get them back into full-on contending status, but it’s fair to say they’ve been making plenty of positive moves in the margins in the meantime. This trade to acquire Powell was an absolute heist basically from the moment it happened.
Miami only had to give up Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson in order to get back Powell from the Los Angeles Clippers. They sent Love and Anderson to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal that saw the Clippers end up with John Collins, and the Jazz receive the Heat’s two players along with a 2027 second-round pick from LA.
The Miami Heat got Norman Powell for an incredibly low price
When you really look at the ramifications of the Heat giving up the two players they dealt, it’s an extremely small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. Neither Love nor Anderson were seen as long-term staples on this roster, and it wasn’t like either guy was seen as having high value on the trade market. Powell comes in as one of the best all-around scoring guards in the association, and he just finished up arguably his best professional season in the 2024-25 year.
Norman showcased his incredible scoring ability and hyper-efficient play style with the Clippers in an increased role last season. By the time the regular season was done, Powell had averaged 21.8 points on 48/41/80% shooting splits. He was a hot commodity with several interested teams inquiring about him prior to the trade. This is one of those situations where there’s just no way what Miami gave up was the most glamorous offer out there at the time.
I’m sure there were plenty of rival front offices that let out an audible groan of disbelief when they saw what Powell actually ended up going for. Once again, Miami ended up getting more for less.
It’s obvious what kind of impact Norm is going to end up making on this team’s offense next year with his off-the-dribble creation and floor-spacing skills. And every time he sinks a shot, Heat fans can remember how sweet it is that he ended up in South Florida for such a low price.
