The Miami Heat have five players who are, or will be, extension-eligible by October, and newly-acquired Norman Powell is one of them. (Mandatory Credit: Harry How/Getty Images)
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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