season-ending play-in loss to the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> a seeming final gut punch, Powell utilized for only 19:20 in an overtime game that went 53 minutes.<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m going to have to talk to my agent and see what\u2019s going on,\u201d Powell said ahead of the Heat cleaning out their lockers Thursday at Kaseya Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve enjoyed my time here, my family\u2019s enjoyed the time here. I\u2019ve had great relationships with the staff and people in the organization. So if it makes sense and if everything\u2019s right, and they\u2019re able to have a mutual interest, I think it\u2019ll be good. But as a free agent, I\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once Herro returned to better health, it was as if the decision was made, with Herro starting, Powell playing off the bench, including Tuesday night\u2019s season-ending loss.<\/p>\n
Eligible for a four-year, $128.5 million extension, one starting at $28.7 million for next season, such a number seemed a value play through the early months of the season.<\/p>\n
And then injuries and absences changed the calculus, with Powell missing 24 games, for the second consecutive year missing extended time following the All-Star break, which also was the case last season amid a closing fizzle with the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\n
Asked if there was a disappointment along the way in not being able to do a deal amid his season-long extension window, Powell turned diplomatic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, even in the beginning and throughout when I became eligible, that\u2019s out of my control,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t force them to. I can just go out there and play the best brand of basketball that I can and there\u2019s other decisions than me.\u201d<\/p>\n
That included a Heat bid to recast at midseason, with a trade proposal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ultimately was retained by the Milwaukee Bucks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know what they tried to do at the deadline, we know the rumors and things like that,\u201d Powell said of Heat management. \u201cSo I think as somebody that\u2019s been around the league, a veteran and been in a lot of different stuff and very smart business-wise and understanding how teams operate and move and think in the future and not just in the moment, I wasn\u2019t really worried about getting an extension or not. I was just worried about playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now the question of whether there will be a payoff, putting Powell in an all-too-familiar position. Last summer, Powell had been under the understanding that an extension to remain with the Clippers was to be completed after summer league. Instead he was dealt to the Heat.<\/p>\n
Now, another waiting game, with the Heat at a crossroads after a fourth consecutive play-in season and first year out of the playoffs since 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have to make decisions and things based on the team and where they want to be and what they want to do next year,\u201d Powell said. \u201cHopefully, I\u2019m a part of the plan. And if I am, great.\u201d<\/p>\n
At this point, it figures to be a delicate dance. With limited offseason cap space around the league, Powell might need to work with the Heat on a sign-and-trade deal if he is nudged aside or chooses to move on elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Or, the Heat could wind up potentially including Herro in a blockbuster \u2014 potentially in play again for Antetokounmpo \u2014 which could have the Heat working on a Powell return.<\/p>\n
At the outset, it appeared to be a marriage that would endure, unlike previous Heat one-year romances.<\/p>\n
Now, it is a player at a point of little clarity.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we\u2019ll just see where they\u2019re at, where my agent is at, and what\u2019s going on in free agency,\u201d Powell said, sounding very aware of the possibility of Heat one and done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI \u2014 The list of Miami Heat one-year wonders is an eclectic lot, players who left by choice,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":711819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3778],"tags":[7,144,165,295,189,3881,6,66],"class_list":{"0":"post-711818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami-heat","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-heat","10":"tag-latest-headlines","11":"tag-miami","12":"tag-miami-heat","13":"tag-miamiheat","14":"tag-nba","15":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116414934278188355","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/711819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}