Miami Heat predicted to lose All-Star in free agency

Norman Powell turned in a solid season for the Miami Heat in 2025-26. He led the team in scoring with 21.7 points per performance and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. 

But despite his productive play, the Heat may not be able, or willing, to retain Powell over the offseason. He's headed for unrestricted free agency. 

Miami Heat predicted to lose Norman Powell in free agency 

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Grant Hughes predicted that the Heat will lose Powell in free agency, likely by choice. 

"It might only take midlevel money to retain Norman Powell in unrestricted free agency, but the Miami Heat have plenty of reasons to let the 33-year-old shooting guard walk away. First, they'd probably need to extend Powell's new deal out multiple years to beat the market," Hughes wrote. 

"Miami's broader plans are uncertain and could include a superstar trade, but most fallback options involve preserving cap space for 2027. Committing to Powell's decline phase wouldn't make sense in that scenario—not with Tyler Herro playing the same position (with many of the same flaws). ... The Heat landed Powell for virtually nothing last offseason, and he outplayed his $20 million salary for long stretches. Those facts aren't enough to make him a surefire keeper." 

This story will be updated. 

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