After ‘interesting’ season with Heat, will Norman Powell be back? ‘Hopefully I’m a part of the plan’
.jpg "Norman Powell #24 of the Miami Heat drives to the basket while guarded by Brandon Miller #24 of the Charlotte Hornets in the second half during their game at Spectrum Center on April 14, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina.")
Veteran guard Norman Powell made the first NBA All-Star Game of his 11-year NBA career this season with the Miami Heat. But his production and availability also dipped after the All-Star break due to injury issues, as he was eventually moved to a bench role in the final weeks of the season.
So, how would Powell sum up his first season with the Heat?
“Interesting,” Powell said after Tuesday’s 127-126 season-ending overtime loss to the Hornets in Charlotte as part of the NBA’s play-in tournament.
Powell, who averaged 29.6 minutes per game during the regular season, played just 19 minutes in Tuesday’s play-in defeat. He finished the loss with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting from three-point range, two rebounds and one assist in a reserve role.
After making clear multiple times during various interviews this season that he doesn’t want his first season with the Heat to be his last season with the Heat, Powell took a more measured approach this week when asked what’s next for him.
“I have to talk to my agent and see what’s going on,” Powell said before walking out of the Heat’s locker room in Charlotte following Tuesday season-ending loss.
Powell, who was traded by the Los Angeles Clippers to the Heat last offseason, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
But the Heat can make sure Powell doesn’t hit free agency by signing him to an extension. Powell has been eligible for an extension from the Heat all season worth as much as $128.5 million during four years, and has until June 30 to sign Powell to that extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
“I’m going to talk to my agent and see what it is,” Powell continued on his NBA future. “That’s a bigger conversation and he’s the one that’s talking to the front office. I’ve enjoyed my time here. My family has enjoyed their time here. I’ve had great relationships with the staff and people in the organization. So if it makes sense and everything is right and they’re able to have a mutual interest, then I think it’ll be good.
“But as a free agent, I’ve been here before. So, you just have to look at what the best option is for you and your family and make a decision off that. I love Miami, love the organization, and it was just an interesting season.”
Powell, who turns 33 on May 25, finished this regular season averaging 21.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 47% from the field and 38% from three-point range. He finished just short of surpassing his single-season career-high of 21.8 points per game, which he accomplished last season with the Clippers.
But most of Powell’s best performances this season came before the All-Star break, when he averaged 23 points per game on 47.4% shooting from the field and 39.6% percent shooting on threes in 45 appearances (all starts). The Heat outscored opponents by 2.6 points per 100 possessions with Powell on the court prior to the break.
After the break, Powell’s production dropped off to average 17.5 points per game on 45.5% shooting from the field and 31.7% shooting from behind the arc in 13 regular-season appearances. Opponents outscored the Heat by eight points per 100 possessions with Powell on the court following the break.
One of the biggest issues Powell faced after making his first NBA All-Star Game was simply remaining available. He missed 13 of the Heat’s 26 games after the break, as he was sidelined for seven games because of a right groin strain, one game because of left calf tightness, four games because of an illness and one game because of right groin soreness.
Then there’s also the fact that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra seemingly didn’t feel comfortable playing Powell alongside Heat guard Tyler Herro. Powell and Herro, the Heat’s top two scorers this season, played just a few seconds together in Tuesday’s season-ending loss.
During the regular season, the Heat was outscored by 6.9 points per 100 possessions in the 257 minutes that Herro and Powell played together.
It was all part of what Powell labeled as his “interesting” season with the Heat.
“That’s out of my control,” Powell said of not already receiving an extension from the Heat despite being eligible for one all season. “I can’t force them to. I can just go out there and play the best brand of basketball that I can. There are other decisions than me. We know what they tried to do at the [trade] deadline. We know the rumors and things like that. So I think as somebody that’s been around the league, a veteran and been in a lot of different stuff, very smart business-wise and understanding how teams operate and move and think in the future and not just in the moment.”
Powell now enters an uncertain offseason, facing the possibility of entering free agency unless the Heat signs him to an extension in the coming months.
“They have to make decisions and things based on the team and where they want to be and what they want to do next year,” Powell said of the Heat. “Hopefully I’m a part of the plan. And if I am, great. Like I said, I like my time here. So we’ll just see where they’re at, where my agent is at, and what’s going on in free agency.”
