Norman Powell believed he would play with Giannis in Miami

Former Miami Heat guard Norman Powell thought that he would re-sign with the Miami Heat and potentially play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Powell recently opened up about his departure from Miami and revealed that he believed the Heat’s pursuit of Antetokounmpo could eventually result in the two teaming up. Instead, Miami's blockbuster deal with the Milwaukee Bucks also brought Bobby Portis to South Florida, making an already complicated financial situation even more difficult.

Norman Powell thought he would play with Giannis in Miami👀

“Honestly, I thought I would be going back to Miami throughout the course of the year. We knew they wanted to get Giannis. We heard some rumblings that ‘Norm and Giannis sounds really good.’ So I thought that was the… pic.twitter.com/PkBkdYXVeX
— The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) August 10, 2026

“Honestly, I thought I would be going back to Miami throughout the course of the year,” Powell said. “We knew they wanted to get Giannis. We heard some rumblings that ‘Norm and Giannis sounds really good.’ So I thought that was the path.”

Powell then explained why he believes things changed.

“But it seemed like they were like, ‘If you want Giannis, you have to take Bobby Portis.’ I think that played a part with the CBA rules and the hard cap with sending out money and receiving money.”

The interesting part is that Powell also said that Miami could have potentially created enough cap space to keep him around if they made some other moves.

“They could’ve made moves and done things if they wanted to,” Powell said. “Obviously, Wiggins would have had to opt out [of his player option] and take less than his $30M and they would have had to move Niko [Nikola Jović]. But teams are going to do what they want. They didn’t make the moves necessary to do so.”

Powell Was Excellent In His First Half-Season With Miami

It’s understandable that Powell has mixed or hurt feelings over the situation and why he wanted to return and stay with the Miami Heat. Powell was on the roster for only one season with the Heat, and he became a first-time All-Star and gave Miami exactly what it needed in the backcourt as a scorer and shooter.

He was productive, especially in the first half of the season and while Tyler Herro was out with injuries. He was a great fit and did well in Erik Spoelstra's system. But then Herro returned, Powell suffered some injury issues himself, and nothing really clicked in the final couple of months.

Still, he's a quality shooter, and in a perfect world, Miami would have found a way to keep him, but that’s not how NBA business works. Powell is exactly what the Miami Heat are currently missing and his playing alongside Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo certainly would have been a seamless fit. His three-point shooting and perimeter scoring is exactly what the Heat need.

Once the Heat acquired Giannis, they also had Bobby Portis as part of the package from Milwaukee. Miami had less flexibility to retain Powell given his salary expectations. Powell was clearly looking for a slight raise after his successful All-Star season.

Powell isn’t wrong to say that the Heat could have moved some pieces around to open cap space, but asking players like Andrew Wiggins to decline his player option and take less is an interesting thing to say. If Powell really wanted to stay, he could have taken less money. If he wanted to play with Giannis and if Miami was his preferred destination, then returning on a significant discount was the answer. I’m not criticizing Powell for leaving to get his raise; at his age, he only has a few more years of his highest earning potential, so it makes sense he wanted to maximize his earnings.

Bobby Portis Didn't Appreciate Being Mentioned

Twitter was buzzing yesterday, and Powell’s comments were also seen by Bobby Portis.

Portis responded publicly after Powell suggested his inclusion in the Antetokounmpo trade played a role in Miami's inability to retain him.

Yo Norm @npowell2404 , I always respected ya game from a distance. We in the same draft. Shout out to 2015. Only bout 9 of us left but keep my name out your mouth brother. I ain’t no throw in piece. From champ to champ respectfully king. Be blessed brother. https://t.co/bjNZ1wu5sC
— Bobby BP Portis (@BPortistime) August 11, 2026

“Yo Norm, I always respected ya game from a distance,” Portis wrote. “We in the same draft. Shout out to 2015. Only bout 9 of us left but keep my name out your mouth brother. I ain’t no throw in piece. From champ to champ respectfully king. Be blessed brother.”

Portis' reaction is understandable, although Powell's comments appeared to be more about Miami's financial situation than Portis' value as a player.

Powell wasn't saying Portis couldn't help the Heat. He was explaining that taking back Portis' contract as part of the Antetokounmpo deal changed what Miami could realistically do afterward.

He gives Miami another proven veteran and frontcourt weapon alongside Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. His ability to score, rebound and stretch the floor should make him an important piece for the Heat this season.

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