Heat Notes: Defense, Starting Lineup, Powell, Ware, Draft Pick
After watching the Heat surrender 149 points in Friday’s loss at Cleveland, coach Erik Spoelstra is having doubts about his defense as the postseason draws near, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes in a subscriber-only piece. Two nights after posting a 17-point win in the same arena, Miami was helpless to slow down a Cavaliers team that shot 53.6% from the field and 46.3% from beyond the arc.
“What we needed to have was a great disposition to start the game versus a team that was very motivated and on top of their game,” Spoelstra said. “So maybe they get off to a good start, but your defense can weather the storm and it ends up being a six to eight-point lead instead of a 20-plus point lead.”
The exact opposite happened as Cleveland registered 40 points in the first quarter and 41 in the second, building a 35-point lead by halftime. Chiang notes that the Heat had one of the league’s elite defenses for most of the season, but have collapsed recently, ranking among the bottom four during their 1-6 stretch.
“It’s extremely disappointing,” Spoelstra added. “We’ve put in the time. The guys have put in blood, sweat and tears to develop a top-four defense two weeks ago. And when we need it the most is when we’ve let it disappear.”
There’s more on the Heat:
- Spoelstra used his preferred starting five of Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo for the second straight game, but the unit didn’t function nearly as well as it did on Wednesday, Chiang adds in the same story. They trailed 21-10 when Spoelstra made his first substitution and were outscored by six points in their 14 minutes together. “We need to just keep figuring it out,” Adebayo said. “Everybody keep buying in and we’ll see where it gets us.”
- Powell is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Indiana due to back spasms, Chiang tweets.
- The Heat are virtually certain to pursue a significant move this summer, Chiang states in a mailbag column. Giannis Antetokounmpo looms as an obvious target after Miami tried to land him at the trade deadline, and Chiang notes that the team needs its potential trade chips to finish the season strong to preserve their value. He points to backup center Kel’el Ware, who is viewed as the team’s top asset but has been inconsistent during his second NBA season with Spoelstra repeatedly singling him out in public comments.
- The decision to grant the Heat a 2026 second-round pick from Charlotte as compensation in the Terry Rozier dispute no longer seems as equitable in light of the NBA’s new anti-tanking proposals, contends Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel (subscription required). Winderman points out that the 2027 or 2028 first-rounder that was sent to the Hornets in exchange for Rozier has a chance to become much more valuable if the new rules are adopted.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Larsson, Knueppel, White, Vukcevic
Mired in a five-game losing streak, the Heat made a starting lineup change on Wednesday in Cleveland, bringing forward Pelle Larsson off the bench for the first time since January 13. The early returns on the adjustment were positive, as Miami snapped its losing streak with a 120-103 road victory over the Cavaliers.
As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays, head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested the new starting five – Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo – is his preferred group when everyone’s healthy, which often hasn’t been the case this season.
“There really wasn’t a lot of thought to it. It’s just now we have finally everybody available,” Spoelstra said. “So we’re able to get to the normal plan. Sometimes you can’t necessarily get to what you want to do based on injuries.”
Although Larsson was moved to the second unit, he still played just over 34 minutes in Wednesday’s win, which was easily his highest mark in a reserve role this season. After the game, Spoelstra praised Larsson for the energy he brought off the bench and made it clear the second-year forward will continue to be featured prominently even if he’s not starting.
“Pelle is undeniable, you can’t take him off the floor,” Spoelstra said. “So I didn’t think anything of (the role change), he didn’t think anything of it that we made the change. Because I know, and I know that he knows that I know that he’s going to play. He led us in minutes tonight. … I just love the way he competes, how he impacts the game, and his teammates really appreciate him as well.”
We have more from around the Southeast:
- Hornets wing Kon Knueppel is battling through some back soreness, but he nearly had the first triple-double of his NBA career in a win over New York on Thursday. Knueppel had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, and became the youngest player in league history to make at least 250 three-pointers in a single season, notes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “I think sometimes he gets labeled as just a shooter, but we feel his impact in so many different ways,” head coach Charles Lee said of the rookie standout.
- Speaking to Boone for a separate Charlotte Observer story, new Hornets guard Coby White suggests the three weeks he spent recovering from a calf strain following his trade from Chicago to Charlotte last month allowed him to adjust to his new NBA home without getting thrown into the deep end right away. “I think what helped me was just – when I was out – picking up a lot of stuff, learning stuff, and then so I didn’t really have to learn it on the fly,” White said. “So it’s been good for me, just breaking down the film when I was out. It’s going to take time, but I feel like I’m getting accustomed to it for sure.” White has averaged 16.0 points in just 20.0 minutes per game in his first 13 outings for the Hornets.
- When he was promoted from his two-way contract to the standard roster last month, Wizards center Tristan Vukcevic signed a three-year, $8.86MM contract that is fully guaranteed through the 2026/27 season. The next step for the young big man will be proving he deserves a place in Washington’s long-term plans, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I’m obviously happy for my deal, but it doesn’t stop here,” Vukcevic said. “I’m still (only 23), I have a whole career in front of me. I think the contract is more motivation for me to work harder this summer and just get better. I don’t think I’m perfect. Everybody says I’m a shooter, but I have a lot of work there. This year, I haven’t shot the ball the way I’m supposed to.”
Wiggins, Jaquez, Powell To Return Monday For Heat
The Heat will have their full rotation available for Monday’s game against San Antonio, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Starting forward Andrew Wiggins, who has missed the last eight games with sesamoiditis in his left big toe, will be active against the Spurs. Key reserve Jaime Jaquez Jr., who has been sidelined for the past two contests because of left hip soreness, will be available as well.
Miami will also have veteran wing Norman Powell back in action after he missed Saturday’s loss in Houston due to left calf tightness, Winderman notes.
As Winderman observes, the stretch run of the season will be important for all three players. Wiggins could be a free agent this summer if he declines his $30.2MM player option for 2026/27; Powell will be a free agent unless he signs a veteran extension before July 1; and Jaquez will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
Wiggins has averaged 15.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 block on .474/.399/.788 shooting in 57 games this season (31.0 minutes per contest). Jaquez is a Sixth Man of the Year contender, having averaged 15.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 4.8 APG on .500/.281/.766 shooting in 64 appearances (28.6 MPG).
Powell, a first-time All-Star this season, is the Heat’s leading scorer at 22.3 PPG. He has also contributed 3.6 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.2 SPG on .473/.384/.823 shooting splits in 52 games (30.1 MPG).
Miami is currently 38-33, the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, but the team is only 1.5 games behind No. 5 Toronto with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Southeast Notes: Kuminga, Powell, White, Wizards
Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (left knee) has been ruled out for Friday’s game in Houston, but the expectation is that he’ll be available on Saturday for his first matchup with his former team, the Warriors, tweets Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
While Kuminga’s stint in Golden State turned sour over the course of his four-and-a-half years with the franchise, no one in the organization holds any ill will toward him, according to head coach Steve Kerr, who said the Warriors want to see Kuminga succeed in Atlanta.
“To be honest, I haven’t given (the first matchup against Kuminga) much thought because we’re trying to win a damn game,” Kerr told Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “But I can tell you that everybody likes JK. Everybody on our team wants the best for him. I want the best for him.
“… I think players need the right set of circumstances to thrive. And the trade made sense because these were not the right circumstances for JK. And you can see right away that Kristaps (Porzingis) has a very clear role on this team, something we’ve needed for years. And we’re looking forward to getting him out there with Steph (Curry). And so in the end, hopefully it’s a trade that works for both guys and both teams.”
Although the on-court fit wasn’t right for him, Kuminga developed several strong relationships during his time with the Warriors. One of those relationships was with current Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh, who was the vice president of basketball strategy in Golden State before being hired by Atlanta in 2024.
“I would go in the front office and mess with him,” Kuminga said of Saleh, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). “He was somebody that you could really sit down and communicate with.”
Saleh may be looking to negotiate a new contract with Kuminga this summer. According to Fischer, sources say there’s mutual interest between the Hawks and the forward’s camp in the possibility of the team declining its $24.3MM option on Kuminga for the 2026/27 season in order to work out a new, multiyear deal.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Since missing seven games due to a groin strain, All-Star guard Norman Powell has come off the bench in two of the Heat‘s last three games. He has still played at least 30 minutes in each of those contests and is taking the adjustment to his role in stride, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I feel like I’m a starter. I’ve worked to be in that role,” Powell said. “But if the team feels that me coming off the bench some games or whatever it is based on a matchup is going to put us in position to win games, I’m going to accept the role and go out there and play basketball.”
- Coby White is playing fewer minutes in Charlotte so far than he did in Chicago, but the Hornets guard is looking more and more comfortable in his sixth man role, averaging 23.0 points in 23.0 minutes per game on .512/.417/.938 shooting in his past three outings. “I appreciate his humility in wanting to kind of fit in, but he’s a heck of a player, and he’s gotta be himself,” head coach Charles Lee said, per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. “And I think the guys encouraged him and continue to do that too, and be aggressive. He’s another guy who can just generate more offense, get the offense flowing. He helps us get to the free throw line because he understands how to use his body, and when he feels contact he starts to get into his shot. But the passing has been really good, too. So I’m really proud of Coby’s growth and evolution since he’s been here.”
- David Aldridge of The Athletic takes a look at what the Wizards and Trae Young are looking to accomplish in the final few weeks of the regular season, noting that Young and rookie guard Tre Johnson each expressed a desire to get plenty of reps alongside one another.
Heat Notes: Powell, Herro, Bam, Mitchell, Jovic, Schedule
After missing the Heat‘s last seven games due to a right groin strain, All-Star wing Norman Powell suited up on Saturday’s four-point loss to Orlando, finishing with 21 points (on 7-of-15 shooting) and three assists in 31 minutes.
Powell’s return came with a twist, however, as he came off the bench for the first time in nearly two years, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat won all seven of the games Powell missed and coaches told him they didn’t want to “mess the flow up.”
Tyler Herro, who had played well in place of Powell for the first five games of that winning streak, also returned to action on Saturday after missing two games with left quad soreness. He started at shooting guard alongside Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware.
“Look, these are not easy decisions right now,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of moving Powell to the bench. “He’s going to play a lot of minutes. Tyler is going to play a lot of minutes. Right now, we just need to focus on winning games and pouring into the team right now. We want to be healthy. We want our guys out there. We want our firepower. We want our options. With that comes some way of sacrifice.”
Backup guard Dru Smith received his fourth DNP-CD of the season with Powell and Herro active, Chiang notes.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Star big man Adebayo was not happy with the officiating crew following Saturday’s game, Chiang adds in the same story. With Miami down four and 36.6 seconds remaining, Larsson was called for five-second inbounding violation, which the team disagreed with. Then with 18.5 seconds left and Miami trailing by two, the Heat felt Orlando should have been called for the same violation, but the referees granted the Magic a timeout. “That altered the game,” Adebayo said of the five-second violation called on Larsson. “When you alter the game, you should have to, like, stand on that. Because when we mess up, when we make mistakes, when we miss stuff, all hell breaks loose on us. We got people blaming us for everything. And then on the other side, I felt like they had a five-second call that wasn’t called. That altered the game. So you see what I’m getting at? They affect the game in a way where sometimes it does have an effect, and they get to go home and sleep peacefully. And we’re up here talking about a call that you feel like should have been called or not called.” For what it’s worth, the last two minute report said both calls were correct.
- Mitchell’s place in the starting lineup seems secure based on Spoelstra’s recent comments, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The longtime coach referred to the 27-year-old point guard as “one of our most important guys” and an “elite on-ball defender.” He also complimented Mitchell’s offensive contributions, Winderman writes. “He’s, in many ways, the engine of when we run and we’re at our best and our pace,” Spoelstra said. “Oftentimes, it’s him that’s igniting it and pitching the ball ahead.”
- Fourth-year forward Nikola Jovic, who has been sidelined for 11 consecutive games due to a lower back injury, has been upgraded to probable ahead of Tuesday’s matchup at Charlotte, per Chiang (Twitter link). Andrew Wiggins, who is dealing with sesamoiditis in his left big toe, will miss his sixth straight contest.
- Miami’s recent upswing will be put to the test with a difficult schedule over the next six games, Chiang writes for The Herald. The Heat play at Charlotte, vs. the Lakers, at Houston, vs. San Antonio, and have a pair of road games in Cleveland during that stretch. “Everybody knows what time it is right now. You have to make moves,” Spoelstra said of the race to avoid the play-in tournament. “You have to do something. And we knew that coming out of All-Star break.”
Heat Notes: Ware, Herro, Wiggins, Powell, Fontecchio
Kel’el Ware was thrust into a significant role on Thursday with Bam Adebayo in foul trouble, and the second-year Heat center delivered in impressive fashion, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Ware, who had 11 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high five steals in 29 minutes during Tuesday’s blowout win over Brooklyn, one-upped that performance in Thursday’s victory over the Nets, compiling 16 points, 11 rebounds, a career-high seven blocks, and a career-high-tying five steals in 32 minutes.
According to Winderman, Ware became the first player in Heat history to record a 10-10-5-5 stat line and the first player in NBA history to do it off the bench. The 21-year-old big man is the first player in franchise history to have seven blocks and five steals in a game — the last NBA player to register those numbers was Josh Smith in 2007.
“It shows that I’m impacting the game,” Ware said. “And I’m going out there and I’m affecting it — being able to help my team, prove that I can play and be a plus.”
Head coach Erik Spoelstra likes what he’s seen recently of Ware, who had 10 points, four rebounds, four blocks and a steal in Friday’s win over the red-hot Hornets.
“I think his teammates are encouraging him to be more aggressive, guard the basket,” Spoelstra said. “He’s getting more alert on situations. I’m encouraged by his last handful of games. He’s doing a lot of things that are impacting the game.”
We have more from Miami:
- The Heat picked up their fourth straight victory on Friday in Charlotte and snapped the Hornet’s six-game winning streak in the process, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Tyler Herro had his best game of the season, finishing with 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists (against zero turnovers). The 26-year-old shooting guard was plus-18 in 37 minutes during the eight-point victory. “He was sensational tonight,” Spoelstra said. “Tyler, you can see he’s gaining more rhythm each game. Tonight, the three ball started to go for him. It opens up so much for his game. He can put the ball on the floor. The nine rebounds were needed because they’re a handful on the glass.”
- Starting forward Andrew Wiggins was sidelined on Friday due to bilateral patellar tendinitis, the team announced (via Twitter). “He’s dealt with it for the last handful of days, and it didn’t loosen up enough today to be available,” Spoelstra said before the game, per Jackson. “But hopefully we can treat him and hopefully make sure it’s a short-term thing.”
- Norman Powell (right groin strain) missed his fourth straight game on Friday, while Simone Fontecchio (left groin strained) missed his second consecutive contest, according to Winderman. “We have some competitive, tough-minded guys in the locker room,” Spoelstra said of his players attempting to shorten timelines for absences. “We do want to be responsible. That was the case with Norm and Timo (Fontecchio). Hopefully, if you get to things early and you really attack it with the rehab, it can be shorter term.”
Heat’s Norman Powell Week-To-Week With Grade 1 Groin Strain
All-Star wing Norman Powell has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right groin strain after undergoing an MRI, the Heat announced on Friday (Twitter link).
According to the team, Powell is considered week-to-week with the injury.
As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, the veteran guard/forward expressed some annoyance about the series of nagging injuries he’s dealt with this season prior to Thursday’s game in Philadelphia. Powell, who was initially listed as questionable for yesterday’s contest, has previously missed time due to ailments involving his right groin, left groin, left ankle and back.
“It’s really frustrating,” Powell said Thursday of the accumulation of the minor injuries. “But at this point in the season, I feel like everybody’s going through something. So it’s all about pain tolerance and management. For me, you guys know, I’m going to always try to push through, and I have a very high pain tolerance. I try to push my body as much as I can.”
The 32-year-old added that his most recent right groin strain, which forced him to leave the loss to the Sixers after playing just 10 minutes, was something that had been bothering him for a while. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said a specific play caused Powell to exit Thursday’s game early, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“We’re going to have to evaluate that when we get back in Miami,” Spoelstra said following Thursday’s loss. “It wasn’t that he couldn’t [play], it was that one slide against [Tyrese] Maxey, and he overextended it. So that’s the same one that he’s been dealing with, and we’ll just have to see what it is.”
Powell is averaging a career-high 22.5 points per game in 2025/26 while also contributing 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals through 49 games with Miami (30.0 minutes). His shooting slash line is .473/.390/.827.
The Heat will likely be without their leading scorer for at least four games. Powell, who is earning $20.5MM this season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Nikola Jovic will also be out on Saturday vs. Houston because of lower back injury management, per the team. It will mark the fourth straight absence for the fourth-year forward.
Heat Notes: Herro, Larsson, Mitchell, Jovic, Smith, Jakucionis
Heat guard Tyler Herro made a triumphant return in Friday’s victory at Atlanta, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The 2025 All-Star scored a game-high 24 points (on 9-of-14 shooting) in 23 minutes off the bench. He also contributed four rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra indicated that Herro’s reserve role isn’t necessarily permanent, though he was noncommittal about when the 26-year-old might return to the starting lineup.
“Right now we’re just trying to get him out there,” Spoelstra said. “We are going to manage the minutes. I’m not overthinking it, I’m not putting anything in cement, I don’t have a timeline for anything. We’re how many ever games into the season right now and we finally have our full roster. We’re just going to try to maximize these next 25 games as much as possible and we just want everybody just to pour into the team, pour into the role, don’t overthink things at this point.”
Herro had missed Miami’s last 15 games due after fracturing three ribs last month. He wore a flak jacket on Friday and said he’s focused on finishing out the year strong after making just 12 appearances thus far in 2025/26, Chiang writes.
“I just want to get out here and play with the whole team, get comfortable, and just stack some healthy games together,” said Herro, who will be extension-eligible this offseason. “Just try to play a stretch of games where I’m healthy. That’s all that’s on my mind.”
Here’s more from Miami:
- Pelle Larsson has been starting in place of Herro and the second-year Heat wing continued to play well on Friday, Chiang writes in another story. Over his last 14 appearances (28.4 MPG), all starts, Larsson has averaged 12.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.5 APG and 0.9 SPG on .567/.300/.791 shooting. “He’s the glue that really can help maximize lineups,” Spoelstra said of Larsson. “Whenever he’s been with that starting unit, it’s been incredibly dynamic. He does all the little things that aren’t seen or not really noticed on the outside, but we notice it. The cuts, the movement, taking charges, running the floor, just moving the basketball, being a ball mover, allowing the scorers to just focus on their strengths.”
- Starting point guard Davion Mitchell is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game vs. Memphis due to an illness, according to Chiang (Twitter link). Forward Nikola Jovic (low back tightness) and reserve guard Dru Smith (left calf soreness) are questionable to suit up. Mitchell played 27 minutes last night, but Jovic and Smith were out of the rotation, only receiving three garbage-time minutes apiece. Herro (ribs) and Norman Powell (illness) are probable to play on the second of a back-to-back.
- In a Q&A with Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype, first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis discusses adjusting to the NBA, finding his rhythm in the G League at the beginning of the season, learning from veterans like Mitchell, and more. “Yeah, it’s amazing,” the rookie guard said of the team’s culture. “It’s very similar to how I think things should be in basketball or in life: working hard and trying to win every time. Being together, being hungry every time you step on the court, diving for loose balls, and paying attention to little details. I think that’s what makes the difference.”
Damian Lillard Wins Three-Point Contest
Damian Lillard isn’t playing this season while recovering from a torn Achilles, but his jumper was still sharp enough to win Saturday’s three-point contest at All-Star Weekend, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. Appearing on an NBA court for the first time since he suffered the injury last April 27, the Trail Blazers guard sank 10 straight shots at one point during the final round to defeat Devin Booker and rookie Kon Knueppel.
It’s Lillard’s third victory in the past four years and it ties him with Larry Bird and Craig Hodges, the only other three-time champs in the history of the contest, which began in 1986.
“Every day I’m up early in the morning warming up and shooting the ball, off the dribble, catch-and-shoot, every style of shot you can shoot. I’m shooting them every day, hundreds of ’em,” Lillard said. “So I knew that this would not be an issue for me. I can’t say I knew that I would win ’cause you just never know. But I knew I would be able to be strong out there and have a chance. I came in confident.”
Lillard was a surprise inclusion in the field of eight contestants because of the injury and his long layoff. He jokingly told a league official that he was ready to go, and he later got the opportunity when another competitor dropped out.
“It felt like a game for me,” Lillard said. “Coming into it, I was like, I don’t know if you can compete harder at a three-point shootout, but I definitely cared more. I didn’t come in, ‘Oh, it is what it is.’ I was like, ‘No, I’m trying to win.’”
Woike notes that the favorite of the L.A. crowd was Heat guard Norman Powell, who spent three years with the Clippers before being traded last summer. Powell scored 23 points in the first round before being eliminated along with Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey and Bobby Portis.
“I just ran a little bit of time,” Powell said, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “I slowed myself down a little too much, because last year I was sped up and going through the course too fast, so kind of said I’m gonna calm down, relax. and take my time with my shots. But, in the end, I ran a little bit of time.”
Second-year Heat forward Keshad Johnson won the Slam Dunk Contest, defeating Carter Bryant in the finals. Jaxson Hayes and Jase Richardson were eliminated in the first round.
The Shooting Stars competition went to the Knicks‘ contingent of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston, along with their celebrity passer, assistant coach Rick Brunson.
Norman Powell ‘Definitely’ Wants To Re-Sign With Heat
Norman Powell, who entered the league in 2015, is making his first All-Star appearance on Sunday as a member of the Heat. An unrestricted free agent after the season, Powell is hoping his time in Miami doesn’t end after this season, he told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald and Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
“Hopefully there’s some good synergy from what they’ve seen that I bring to the table,” Powell said. “And hopefully a deal is able to be done sometime. But yeah, I see myself being here and being a part of the Heat organization for however long they’ll have me.”
Powell is in the final year of a five-year, $90MM contract that he signed with Portland. He’s averaging a team-best 23.0 points, to go along with 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 45 starts. The scoring average is also a career best and his shooting averages are strong — 47.4 percent overall and 39.6 percent on three-point tries.
Powell is extension-eligible and would prefer to stay put, even though he’d certainly have suitors on the free agent market.
“This is definitely a place that I want to be,” Powell said. “It’s been nothing but great. Coming here getting adjusted, the organization has been amazing. I love where I’m at. I love the setup. I love the mentality. I love the approach. It has been, honestly, a super easy transition because I feel like everybody in the organization has the same mentality I have of pushing yourself to achieve the best and be the best version of yourself. It’s been fun.”
Powell has been traded a few times in his career – including from the Trail Blazers to the Clippers to the Heat since signing his current contract – and it happened again this week in a odd way. He was moved from the USA Stripes team in the three-team All-Star event on Sunday to the World Team due to Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s injury.
Powell was disappointed last season when he wasn’t selected for the All-Star Game as a member of the Clippers. He averaged a career-best 21.8 points in 60 starts, then was dealt to Miami a three-team swap in July. He now finds himself making that coveted appearance in the new Intuit Dome, the home of the Clippers.
“I really thought that I’d be an All-Star last year with the team, and it didn’t happen,” said Powell, who will also take part in the three-point contest on Saturday night. “Moves are made, and then the venue is actually where you just got traded from and you get selected to be one and go back there in front of the fans, in front of that organization. I think it’s just a nice little Easter egg to the story of my career. … I don’t think they freely wanted to give me up, but I think it’s just a little in-your-face. I still was able to do it.”