A summer of relaxation took a wild turn for newly acquired Miami Heat guard Norman Powell when he learned he would not be returning to the Los Angeles Clippers on July 7.
During Miami’s media day, Powell told Marc Spears of Andscape how the trade situation played out while enjoying a vacation in Venice, Italy with his girlfriend.
“I’m on one of those little boats and my agent calls me and tells me that I’m being traded to Miami,” Powell told Andscape during Heat Media Day from Kaseya Center on Monday. “I kind of put everything on hold, ended the tour early, [got] off the boat, talked to my agent. Then, [Clippers president] Lawrence Frank calls me and then literally every 10 minutes after that my phone just starts blowing up from text messages and calls from people in the organization.
The news changed the trajectory, and mood, of Powell’s trip. What was going to be a nice day consisting of a gondola ride followed by good food fell to the wayside, as Powell had to plan the next steps.
“My family, I actually FaceTimed them in a group FaceTime and let them know that I just got traded. And nobody believed me for a little bit until they looked up on internet and saw that I was traded. But yeah, I put the whole day that I had planned on hold.”
Powell, 32, became a key contributor in the Clippers organization. A productive two-way player with a championship ring to boot, Powell provided buckets in big moments, often when franchise star Kawhi Leonard was sidelined with injuries.
Powell thought his strong play would lead to an extended future in Los Angeles; he was mistaken.
“It was a mix of emotions just because the days prior we were talking about possibly an extension, what that would look like, what I was initially looking for,” Powell said. “I talked to T-Lue [Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue] and told him what I wanted. We’re going back and forth just about what it would look like, what they could do, what they can’t do, and just trying to figure that whole thing out. So then, my agent was talking about ‘some [trade rumor] things are floating around.’ But he didn’t think that there’s anything serious.
Last season, Powell averaged 21.8 points in 60 games, a career high. Now, he will bring his talent to a Heat roster in need of a scoring boost after trading Jimmy Butler and facing the beginning of the season without Tyler Herro after he underwent left ankle surgery on Sept. 19.
For Powell, the change of landscape is not frowned upon. Since trading Powell, the Clippers are under investigation from the NBA for allegations of circumventing the league’s salary cap by distributing money to Leonard via a now defunct company Aspiration. It is a situation Powell is grateful to not be caught up in.
“I know a lot of people have said, ‘Oh, you got traded. Now you don’t have to deal with everything that just came out,’” Powell said. “Yeah, it’s a tough situation over there for them. But I am glad that I don’t have to deal with it. I have had reporters and stuff try to reach out and talk to me. But I just told them, ‘That’s not my situation and I don’t really have a comment on that.’ I’m just focused on what’s in front of me and the opportunity that I have being here with the Heat.”
Additionally, Powell now gets to play for the organization he grew up rooting for. However, he is entering the year with a chip on his shoulder and a newfound motivation after missing out on the All-Star team despite a career scoring year.
“I definitely have a chip from feeling like I could have made it,” Powell said. “I should have made it last [season]. It added fuel to the fire this summer on how I am going to capitalize on this [season], that I have to make sure that I’m a surefire pick for an All-Star selection.
“Finding out that it is in L.A. would definitely be a little punch there to make it. To play All-Star Weekend in Intuit would be amazing. But yeah, I’m definitely excited about the opportunity to go at it again and have a chance to finally get selected.”