The Miami Heat had a relatively tame offseason. After moving on from Jimmy Butler at last season's trade deadline and missing out on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, the franchise made a low-cost trade. They acquired Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell as part of a three-team deal, sending veterans Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz sent forward John Collins to Los Angeles.
Bleacher Report re-graded the biggest offseason trades now that we are about a quarter of the way through the regular season. The Heat received a high "A" grade.
"Powell only averaged 14.4 points per game after the All-Star break last year, which cast some doubt on the repeatability of his career-best season," the article wrote. "In a backward way, skeptics were right: Powell hasn't matched 2024-25's productivity. He's exceeding it. Looking like a perfect fit in Miami's screen-free, constantly attacking style, he is on track to set new career highs with 24.7 points per game and a 44.4 percent hit rate from long range. He narrowly missed an All-Star bid last year but is in line to remedy that this season. The only knock on Miami is that Powell will hit free agency after the year, which means he'll either be a rental who gets away or a much costlier investment than expected. Even if the 32-year-old is only around for this season, he's been an enormous value and a ridiculously good return for Anderson and Love."
Outside of Tyler Herro, the Heat have had issues in the backcourt so Powell's inclusion in the rotation has been a welcome addition. Terry Rozier was acquired by Miami in 2024 to be the team's true point guard but quickly regressed throughout his tenure. Powell had his best season last year playing opposite Kawhi Leonard and James Harden as the third scoring option in Los Angeles. With Herro's early-season injury, he performed admirably as the team's main bucket-getter, averaging career-highs in multiple offensive categories. Now, with Herro's return, the two could be one of the best backcourts in the Eastern Conference.
When looking at the other teams involved in this trade, the Clippers received a "D" grade. Their season has gone wrong in almost every way imaginable and the team could be entering a new rebuilding era. The Jazz received a "C" grade for moving off Collins' contract although Anderson and Love have been non-factors for them this season.