Both on and off the floor, it’s pretty clear that the offseason acquisition of Norman Powell has completely changed everything for the Miami Heat. Powell gives the Heat a strong second option next to Tyler Herro (when he returns) and will offer plenty of off-court versatility if this season gets away from Miami.
In many ways, trading for Powell could end up being one of the best transactions in recent team history. Of course, that’s assuming they play what happens next correctly.
Norman Powell is a huge piece of the Heat's puzzle
Not only is Powell going to play an enormous role for the Heat with Herro expected to miss the first few weeks of the season, but (in a potential worst-case scenario) he can also emerge as a potentially strong trade deadline candidate for the team.
If things go south quickly, the Heat are going to have one of the best assets to dangle on the open market ahead of the February deadline. On the other hand, if the Heat are able to defy the odds and develop into one of the surprise teams of the Eastern Conference, there’s no question that Powell is going to play a huge role in that.
If the season-opener was any indication, Powell is going to be one of the leading scorers on the team this season. Even when Herro returns, it's hard to imagine much of that changing. In fact, once the Heat is healthy again, the 1-2 punch of Herro and Powell is going to emerge as one of the most underrated duos in the Eastern Conference.
Would the Heat rather trade or extend Powell?
How far a trio of Powell, Herro, and Bam could take the Heat in the East remains to be seen. However, it certainly has the potential to be quite competitive in a beat-up conference.
Ultimately, this season could very well come down to this one question: Are the Heat more likely to trade or extend Powell? The answer to this question could help us paint what this season could hold for Miami.
If it gets to the point where the Heat would rather re-sign Powell, there's probably a sense that Miami has been (or will be) better than most prognostications. If the other option is accurate, that probably means the Heat are going to be sellers at the trade deadline and could be gearing up for an even bigger teardown of the roster in the near future.
Either way, the Heat are probably sitting in a great spot. The addition of Powell is a huge reason why.