NBA
Heat’s Norman Powell called it ‘a shock’ to be traded by the Clippers after a career-best season
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated9 mins ago on July 10, 2025
The 2024-25 season was a career-best year for Norman Powell. It was the fourth year with LA after being traded to the team in 2021-22.
Powell has played in 201 games for the Clippers and has made 73 starts. Earlier this week, Los Angeles was involved in a three-team deal with the Heat and Jazz. In that exchange, the team parted ways with veteran Norman Powell to acquire John Collins from Utah. Powell landed with Miami. He told Heat beat reporter Ira Winderman that it was “a shock” to be traded after a career-best year.
Norman Powell is excited to play for an organization like the Miami Heat
Norman Powell Caught Off Guard By Trade To Heat https://t.co/euoPEeNsuA
— RealGM (@RealGM) July 10, 2025
With a second-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft, the Raptors selected Norman Powell out of UCLA. He played the first five-and-a-half seasons with Toronto. Powell was part of their championship roster in 2019. He came off the bench and averaged 15.9 minutes per game in that championship run. During the 2020-21 season, Powell was traded to the Trail Blazers.
Norman Powell played just 67 games for Portland before they traded him at the 2021-22 deadline to the Clippers. The 32-year-old found a home in LA, playing their for four seasons. Powell’s 21.8 points and 32.6 minutes per game was a new career-high this past season. Additionally, 60 games started in 2024-25 was a new personal best. That’s why Powell called it “a shock” to be traded by the Clippers this offseason.
Norman Powell Has No Issue Coming Off the Bench
“I don’t have a big ego. I want to win,” Powell said. “Starter or off the bench, I see myself as a one, two option that can help carry a team.”
(per @flasportsbuzz) pic.twitter.com/RqZTQSR42p
— SleeperHeat (@SleeperHeat) July 9, 2025
The SG was caught off guard by the trade but was “really excited” to hear he was heading to Miami. Norman Powell told Ira Winderamn how he grew up watching Dwynae Wade. That made Powell want to play for Miami as a kid. He called this a ” full-circle moment” in his career. Norman Powell will likely start at SG for the Heat in 2025-26. He’s more than capable of taking on that role.
His 21.8 points per game would have been second on the Heat last season. Tyler Herro led the team with 23.9 points per game. Over the last three seasons, Norman Powell has taken his three-point shooting to another level. He’s shooting .417% from beyond the arc since the 2022-23 season. Powell shot .418 percent from deep, averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game. The veteran SG is an experienced player who can help the Heat contend in the East. How effective can Norman Powell be in his first season with Miami?
