Six days ago, the Miami Heat made one of the bigger trades of the summer, acquiring Norman Powell from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team, four-player swap.
By all accounts, this was a huge win for the Heat, given the price tag. But while Powell, 32, hasn’t played a single second in a Heat uniform quite yet, the team now has another extension-eligible player heading into the 2025-26 season — though there’s more nuance to how much Powell can make depending on when he signs it.
Five Miami Heat players are extension-eligible this offseason. Norman Powell is one of them:
Powell is entering the last year of a five-year deal with a $20.5 million cap hit — 13.2 percent of the cap. Since he was traded, the NBA’s extend-and-trade rules prohibit the 6-foot-4 guard from earning the full four-year extension that he would’ve been eligible for under normal circumstances for six months.
Instead, until January, the most Powell is eligible for is a three-year, $77.4 million extension, with a starting salary of $24.6 million, 14.9 percent of next year’s projected cap. After that six-month deadline, he will be eligible for a four-year, $128.5 million extension with a $28.7 million starting salary, 17.4 percent of the cap.
The team may be more incentivized to offer the former, but that doesn’t mean Powell will accept it. Miami can sign the 10-year veteran to an extension at any time before the next league year as an expiring contract.
Powell is coming off a career year, averaging 21.8 points on 41.8 percent shooting from 3-point range, in addition to 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He’ll be entering his age-32 season — with his next contract likely being his last big payday. One could assume he’s looking to make as much money as possible — and nobody can blame him.
A three-year extension would lock him up through his age-35 season, while a four-year extension keeps him on the books through his age-36 campaign.
The Heat have four other players who are, or will be, extension-eligible by the time October rolls around, including Tyler Herro and Nikola Jovic, who will be a restricted free agent next offseason if he doesn’t sign one.
That doesn’t mean all will be signed, but Powell’s impending free agency could add another puzzle that Miami must solve — especially if he supersedes expectations — as he pushes his mid-30s.
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Agree…Herro’s one-way game should bring better value but Pat may still hang on to his rope.
Heat should re-sign Powell for 3 years/$77.4M. Much better option than Herro for 3 years/$150M. Herro can be used as part of trade for a ss or high quality point guard.
I agree. But, sometimes it seems like certain players are hard to move, even when it’s clearly the prudent path. Or, maybe it’s the loyalty thing again.
Either way, loyalty only goes so far. Riley can test the waters now and see how much he wants. If it is a team friendly number (e.g. no more than $40M), he can consider it. If it isn’t a reasonable number, then Miami has it’s answer. Trade him this summer, by the February trade deadline or at the end of the season. Riley has a year to figure it out and make the decision that is best for and least disruptive to the team.
One thing is clear, 3 years/$150M or more, is not either team friendly or reasonable. Furthermore, the very last thing Riley wants to do is repeat the Butler fiasco which he could have been prevented long before it got ugly.
Again we don’t agree on a lot of things but I agree on the herro situation, paying him that much money would be absurd and if it was any other franchise would be a fireable offense
Miami ranked 24th in scoring last season. Herro was Miami’s #1 scorer @ 23.9 ppg. He scored 4.9 ppg more than Wiggins @ 19.0 ppg and 5.8 more than Bam @ 18.1 ppg.
Miami can’t just trade Herro’s 24 ppg without using him as part of a trade package for a ss who can score at least 24 ppg, e.g., Antetokounmpo.
The other option is to package him with Rozier and try to get 2 good rotation players, e.g., a starting PG and a back-up PF/C. For example, Herro and Jacquez for Dejounte Murray and Yves Missi.