The Miami Heat just made a trade for Normal Powell that upped their ceiling in 2025-26, potentially as high as an actual playoff team (top-six seed) that doesn’t have to fight its way into the last two spots in the East via the NBA’s play-in tournament.
That Miami got Powell for very little in return isn’t the feather in the franchise’s proverbial cap that some have made it out to be. Multiple analysts at ESPN and The Ringer have pointed out correctly that the Los Angeles Clippers made the move for two reasons: First, they ran into a wall in contract negotiations with Powell who is an expiring contract next season and wanted something in return rather than losing him for nothing. The Clippers got that in 27-year-old forward John Collins, most recently of the Utah Jazz, via the three-team deal. He adds some offense and athleticism to their frontline (19 points and 8.2 rebounds per night last season).
Second, Los Angeles is the clear frontrunner for shooting guard Bradley Beal once the Phoenix Suns waive him and stretch his contact, which could happen any day now. The Clippers will be able to replace Powell with Beal in what is essentially a wash, give or take a few points per game, via the swap of score-first guards.
One development that could prove the Heat’s signature move of the last few summers if they could maneuver it, however, would be to flip Powell and other solid players for a bonafide superstar who could help put Miami back in true NBA Finals contention in an injury-battered Eastern Conference.
Kevin Durant, a longtime target in South Florida, is no longer on the market. However, former Heat superstar and current Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James just might be.
Heat Can Use Norman Powell as Key Piece of Trade for LeBron James
GettyNorman Powell of the Miami Heat.
Zach Lowe on Monday, July 14, floated a trade idea between the Lakers and Heat built around some of the younger talent in Miami.
“There’s a Heat reunion trade that kind of actually makes some sense for both sides,” Lowe said. “[The Heat] have salary attached to decent players. They have a young rim-running center that Luka [Doncic] can grow with in Kel’el Ware. And they are a place where LeBron has been and knows — and there’s a certain romanticism to that. [Tyler] Herro plus LeBron plus Bam [Adebayo] … I’m not closing any doors.”
Lowe added the caveat that he believes James will end up back with the Lakers next season after exercising the $52.6 million player option on his contract a couple of weeks ago. And that is the most logical outcome given how complicated any trade would be, though there is a world where it makes sense for all three parties involved.
Heat Trade Package for LeBron James Can Make Sense for Lakers
Getty Kel’el Ware of the Miami Heat.
James has a no-trade clause, so he would have to agree to the deal. But James sent out agent Rich Paul to comment publicly about his desire to win immediately, which most league insiders read as a direct message to the Lakers that the four-time MVP expects them to make moves toward immediate title contention.
Given that, James may be open to returning to a desirable city where he won two championships and played in four Finals — particularly if Adebayo and Herro remain on the roster.
Los Angeles could get out of the James business a year early, which is a mixed bag. He was a second-team All-NBA player in his age-40 campaign and may still give the team the best chance to win. However, if the Lakers believe their odds will remain thin in the West even if James stays, then flipping him for Ware and a package of talent they can move on from next summer in the name of hunting bigger game makes perfect sense.
L.A. has apparently cooled on the idea of Andrew Wiggins, but he does provide size, perimeter defense, rebounding and some shooting at the forward position. Wiggins has two years remaining on his current contract, but he would enter 2026-27 with a $30.2 million expiring contract that the Lakers could use in a trade.
Add Powell, who averaged 21.8 points per game last season, and his $20.5 million expiring contract to the $28.2 million Wiggins will make next season and the Heat are close to James’ 2025-26 salary. Ware, the true prize in the deal and the one player the Lakers would likely want to keep longterm, puts the salary total just over $53.1 million, roughly $500,000 more than what James will earn next season.
LeBron James Could Prove Short-Term and Long-Term Play for Heat
GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James shoots over Haywood Highsmith of the Miami Heat during an NBA game.
The Heat would probably prefer to keep Ware as a longterm asset and could re-sign Powell, who will play next season at 32 years old, to a multiyear contract extension. But those two players aren’t likely to push Miami into another NBA Finals any time soon, if ever, even as teammates of Adebayo and Herro.
James, however, would go a lot further in that regard for Miami next season. He could potentially come back to the NBA for another year or two beyond the 2025-26 campaign, regardless of location, per The Athletic’s Dan Woike, who joined the “Zach Lowe Show” on Monday.
Miami has some other promising young talent in the form of Davion Mitchell, Jaime Jacquez Jr. and rookie Kasparas Jakucionis — all of whom are playing on affordable deals. If the Heat were to trade for James, and then he was to return beyond next season at a considerably reduced annual average salary, the franchise would have some flexibility to go out and recruit in free agency — not to mention more juice via James’ presence on the roster and the championship equity he would bring to Miami, even in his early 40s.
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