Norman Powell could have found his next NBA home. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Miami Heat are open to the idea of giving Powell a contract extension if he plays well to start the season.
Many fans were left questioning the motive of the Heat when they acquired Powell during the offseason. At that point, it did seem as if the Heat were going to embrace some sort of youth movement and that the team was going to enter a "gap" year. The trade for Powell doesn't exactly fall in line with that plan.
Giving him a contract extension would make even less sense. It would also send an odd message after a summer in which the Heat continued to preach (through the media) financial flexibility for the future.
I suppose if they found a way to extend Powell to a team-friendly extension, it wouldn't impact the team in a huge way, especially considering that stars aren't hitting free agency anyway, but it would still be a bit of an unexpected move.
Perhaps more importantly, you couldn't help but wonder what a Powell contract extension might mean for Tyler Herro's future with the team.
What would a Norman Powell contract extension mean for Tyler Herro?
If Powell is extended and Herro isn't over the next few months, it'd be quite shocking. At this point, the overwhelming opinion is that if one is being extended, it's going to be Herro. However, if the Heat's front office decides to flip the switch, it surely does say a lot about the team's future.
If Powell does get his extension after a strong start to the season, and Herro doesn't, the writing will be pretty clearly on the wall at that point. It would mean Herro's days in a Heat uniform are likely numbered.
Even though that was always a possibility when the Heat acquired Powell, that would be quite the surprising move. It's not expected, at least for now, but it's also a scenario that can't be considered off the table. Not yet.
In many ways, the Heat is likely going to end up tipping their hand on their future plans with what moves they end up, or don't end up, making over the next couple of months. Both Powell and Herro are likely going to be at the center of it all for the Heat.
We're going to learn a lot about what may lie ahead for the Heat, both on and off the floor, very early on in this season.