Should the Miami Heat Resign Norman Powell?

Early on in the season, I was a huge advocate for a Norman Powell extension. He has had a career year in Miami, averaging 22.3 points per game while making the All-Star team. He anchored the Heat to a strong start in Tyler Herro's absence, and has made the most out of his opportunities.

The Miami Heat must extend their star guard

Now, this Summer Norman Powell is a free agent, and the Miami Heat have a decision to make regarding Powell, as they already pay, and have another decision to make on a very similar, much younger player in Tyler Herro.

I thought originally that the fit could work, but the defensive issues that I warned everyone about, have not been made up for on the offensive end.

Herro Powell on/off — Tyler Herro and Norman Powell on/off splits | Databallr.com

In their 189 minutes together, the net rating of -3.9 is one of the Heat's worst defensive pairings, and the offensive output of 113.3 just isn't making up for the defensive shortcomings.

So, can the Heat afford to pay Powell, or will it be another situation where the Heat should have traded the player when they had the chance (that's what I would have done). If the question is between Powell and Herro, you pay Herro, he's a better playmaker, rebounder, and is much younger, if the question is whether or not to bring Powell along for next season, I still bring him back, but only at Miami's price.

That price should be similar to his current one, even with the All-Star selection, the missed games and his DARKO, project a similar contract. I think a 2-year $40-50 million dollar deal is fair, and something the Heat should do. However, losing Powell would help further lean into the youth movement and provide more opportunity for Kasparas Jakucionis which would be a big positive.

ICYMI, I built a contracts tool that projects what every player in the NBA is worth vs what they are paid. Here's what it says about AD (bad value) and Coby White (good value).

Tool is free, zero ads, for the community. Play around with it here! https://t.co/lQ9XM0MUEo pic.twitter.com/JKEQpVUoUM
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) January 28, 2026

Hindsight has the potential to be 20/20 if the Heat let Powell walk, but that's part of how the Heat run the team.

Ethan J. Skolnick

Whether the Miami Heat re-sign Norman Powell is completely contingent on what they play to do with Tyler Herro, if they even know. What's been proven this season is that they need one on the floor, for spacing and scoring, but not both. They have not been additive to each other. So while Powell has been a perfect fit in the locker room and was instrumental in the early offensive success, his wearing down -- and the poor fit with Herro -- makes me lean toward no. He's worth two years plus a player option at about $25 million per, but probably not to the Heat, since they seem inclined to keep leaning into the younger Herro, regardless of his own defensive limitations.

Coach Spo on Norman Powell coming off the bench:

"He'll play a lot of minutes. Tyler will play a lot of minutes. Right now we need to focus on winning games... What we'll do each game, I don't know at this point" pic.twitter.com/dnfFakCYZw
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) March 15, 2026

Amir Motameni

Yes, I would re-sign Norman Powell if I’m the Miami Heat. Even though his play has dipped a bit lately, you can’t ignore the fact that he’s a proven scorer and was playing at an All-Star level earlier in the season. Miami has never been an organization that embraces tanking, and adding or keeping reliable offensive firepower is always a priority if they want to stay competitive in the East. I would sign him for a two-year, $50 million deal.