Norman Powell Discusses Heat Departure, Bulls’ Outlook

“We knew they wanted to get Giannis,” Powell said. “We heard some rumblings that ‘Norm, Bam (Adebayo) and Giannis sounds really good.’ So I thought that was the path. But when the trade is on the table, that was in the season and I don’t know the talks behind it. I don’t know what Milwaukee’s stance was. 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. That put a tough swing on things, in my eyes. But I could be totally wrong.”

As Powell alludes to, the inclusion of Portis in the deal meant that the Heat would be hard-capped at the first tax apron for the rest of the 2026/27 season and wouldn’t have nearly as much cap flexibility going forward. That compromised Miami’s ability to make Powell a market-value contract offer when he reached free agency.

“They could’ve made moves and done things if they wanted to,” Powell continued. “Obviously, Wiggs (Andrew Wiggins) would have had to opt out and take less than his $30MM (player option) and they would have had to move Niko (Nikola Jovic). But teams are going to do what they want. They didn’t make the moves necessary to do so. So it’s about being ahead of the game and seeing how things play out.

“(Agents) Khalid (McCaskill) and Glu (Jason Glushon) were really on top of giving me the outline of what free agency would look like, who’s available and who’s interested. As the news was coming out with different guys’ contracts and trades, they kept me really informed on what was going to be next, who was on the board and off the board. It wasn’t as cut and dry.”

Powell’s remarks raised some eyebrows on social media due to a perception that he was second-guessing the Heat’s roster decisions, criticizing Portis, and/or suggesting that Wiggins should’ve been willing to accept a pay cut to create additional spending power for the team. He spent time on Twitter on Monday explaining to fans that he was simply breaking down the Heat’s cap situation and outlining why a return wasn’t feasible, noting that Miami didn’t end up making him an offer at all.

Portis himself was among those who took exception to Powell’s comments, writing on Twitter, “Yo Norm, I always respected ya game from a distance. We in the same draft. Shout out to 2015. Only bout nine 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.”

Replying to Portis, Powell wrote, “You my dawg brotha always supporting. You wanna chop it up. Hit my line directly. Class of 2015 still hoopin.”

While his comments about his Miami exit and the Heat’s roster created more headlines, Powell also had plenty to say to Medina about his new team. The 33-year-old, who signed a two-year, $44MM contract with the Bulls, expressed excitement about playing for new head coach Tiago Splitter in Chicago and said he expects to be leaned on for “old-man leadership and wisdom” as one of the veteran players on a young roster.

Powell also made it clear that he believes in the Bulls’ roster while acknowledging that there’s no guarantee the team will be as competitive as he hopes and expects it to be.

“We have the potential to be really good. But we also have the potential to be really bad,” he told Medina. “So I think it’s about finding that fine line with how we’re going to go out and develop our mentality every night. So when teams play us, they know what they’re getting.

“Obviously, Tiago’s voice, coaching style and his approach will definitely help with that. But I also want to help with that mentality. So that when you come to play the Bulls, at home or on the road, you will have to compete for a full 48 minutes. We’re going to pick it up, play hard and attack you. We’re going to use every single weapon we have available to help us get wins.”