Maybe the Miami Heat’s most notable offseason addition to this point has been guard Norman Powell, an uber-talented offensive player who enjoyed a breakout season with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2024-25 campaign.
One can make a real argument that the Heat were able to acquire him via trade for pennies on the dollar, too. After all, Miami had to give up just forwards Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love in the three-team deal, and neither of those players had large roles for the Heat a season ago.
In light of the Heat making a shrewd deal to land Powell, Heat legend Dwyane Wade explained why he thinks Miami is a hand-in-glove fit for the 32-year-old.
“At this point in his career, this is the perfect place for him to get to that level that he was just on the cusp of,” Wade said according to a post on X. “That All-Star level, you know what I’m saying? Being one of the best players. Like he said, once P.G. (Paul George) left, it opened up the opportunities more for him, and he shined.”
The fact that the Heat were able to acquire a player of Powell’s caliber without having to give up any members of their young core or future draft picks is a major win for them.
He was one of the premier scorers in all of the NBA in the 2024-25 campaign, as he averaged 21.8 points per game with the Clippers, the 24th-best scoring average of any qualified player in the league.
Powell served as a leading scoring option for a Clippers team that held its own in a highly competitive Western Conference, as Los Angeles won 50 games in the regular season and qualified for the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
The NBA veteran showed off a wide-ranging scoring skill set with the Clippers a season ago, as he shot 41.8 percent from 3-point range and 53.8 percent on shots from inside the 3-point line.
Along with a versatile scoring toolbox, Powell brings two-way potential to the table, at least in the eyes of one anonymous NBA scout. Powell hung his hat on the defensive side of the ball more earlier on in his pro career.
He adds championship pedigree to the fold in Miami as well. Powell was a vital complementary piece next to the likes of stars Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry when the Toronto Raptors captured their first championship in franchise history back in 2019.
Hopefully, Wade will prove to be right in his belief that Miami is the “perfect place” for Powell.
