The start of the NBA's regular season is a few weeks away, but the Miami Heat should already be thankful they were able to pry Norman Powell away from the LA Clippers this summer. Without making that move, the Heat would be in an even more dire situation than they currently find themselves.
With Tyler Herro set to miss the first month of the season (at least) after undergoing surgery on his left ankle, the Heat is losing arguably its best offensive player. Even though he may not be the overall offensive player that Herro is at this point in his career, the acquisition of Powell is certainly going to cushion the blow to a certain extent.
Powell wasn't an All-Star player last year, but he certainly played like one. Coming off the best statistical season of his career, the Heat might have the exact player they need to survive a few weeks without Herro.
Many believed that Powell should've made the All-Star team last year, and will likely be asked to play a bigger role right off the jump for the Heat. He'll certainly have the opportunity to prove his worth right away for Miami.
The Heat's offseason heist continues to pay dividends
Looking back, it's hard not to be utterly shocked by the heist the Heat made in early July. Being able to land Powell for pennies on the dollar continues to be one of the most surprising moves of the offseason.
Even though there's a good portion of the national media that will never give the Heat the credit they deserve for such a move, it could end up being one of the more underrated moves of the summer.
Officially, Miami sent Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson, two players who were unlikely to play a big part for the Heat this season, to the LA Clippers, as part of a three-team trade, in exchange for Powell.
Sure, Powell is in the final year of his contract, and that will certainly be another headache the Heat will have to solve, but you take that deal 100 times out of 100 if you're a team like the Heat.
And after the most recent injury to Herro, the move for Powell only looks 10 times better.
Even if he's only 80 percent of the player he was last year for the Clippers, there's reason to believe that Powell is going to be a huge addition for the Heat this season.
No matter how this season unravels for the Heat, you'd have to believe that Powell is going to play a big role for Miami. And make no mistake, their decision to acquire him during the offseason is almost impossible to evolve into a move they will end up regretting.