The wins just keep coming for the Miami Heat.
Lost in the signing of Klay Thompson is the fact that the Heat's decision to move on from Norman Powell just looks so much better. Instead of forking over a contract that likely would've been worth $20 million per season, or a number awfully close to that, Miami was able to get Tim Hardaway Jr. and Thompson for a fraction of that price.
At the start of free agency, the Heat signed Hardaway Jr, to a $6 million deal. Now that Thompson has officially cleared waivers, they're expected to ink Thompson to a two-year contract worth approximately $6.5 million per year.
If you do the math, that's $12.5(ish) million per year for Thompson and Hardaway Jr. over $20 million for Powell. Looking back, it's safe to say that Miami's move to pass on Powell continues to look better and better.
The Heat have managed this offseason to near perfection
Of course, their on-the-court play this season will ultimately tell the final story. But at least on paper, it does seem as if the Heat made the right gamble.
Even though Powell may still be considered the better player (on paper) compared to both Hardaway Jr. and Thompson at this point in their respective careers, there is an argument to be made that the latter are the better fits for the new-look Heat.
Plus, let's not forget that toward the end of his tenure in Miami, Powell had somewhat worn out his stay. After such a hot start to the season, Powell was more injured than not by the end. Even when he did return, the fit alongside Tyler Herro was never as clean as the team hoped it could be.
At least to a certain extent, it'd be foolish to suggest that misfortune didn't play at least somewhat of a role in the Heat's decision to let him walk. Even though Herro ended up being part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade package, Powell had lost enough goodwill that the writing was on the wall by the end.
I'm sure Erik Spoelstra would've made it work between Powell, Giannis, and Bam Adebayo, but the catch-and-shoot strengths of both Hardaway Jr. and Thompson could make way for a more well-functioning offense in Miami.
That only adds to the great financial tiptoeing that the Heat have miraculously pulled off this summer.
There were questions when it became clear that the Heat were moving on from Powell, but, especially with how the last month has turned out, it's pretty clear it was the right move.
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