Norman Powell Details Being Shunned By Heat, Draws Bobby Portis Ire

In the wake of offering candor regarding his parting from the Miami Heat, All-Star guard Norman Powell has found himself in the middle of a social-media firestorm over his offseason relocation to the Chicago Bulls.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fadeaway World, Powell expressed disappointment of not being offered the opportunity to return for a second season with the Heat, other than if he accepted a minimum-scale contract.

“I know everybody was hoping I was coming back. Then there was stuff coming out about me possibly not being in Miami. They never came to the table,” Powell said of his free agency. “So Chicago came to the table along with a few other teams to sit down and talk with my agents just about what the best deal is and what is the outlook on the future for me and my basketball career.”

Powell, 33, wound up with a two-year, $44 million contract with the Bulls, with only the first season guaranteed, making it possible he could be relocated before February’s NBA trade deadline.

The Heat could have had the resources to match that 2026-27 salary from the Bulls had Bobby Portis Jr. not been included in the deal with the Milwaukee Bucks that landed Giannis Antetokounmpo. Instead, the oversized contracts of Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo left the Heat short on cap space and Powell on the outside after a single Heat season.

“Honestly,” Powell said, “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, Bam and Giannis sounds really good.’ So I thought that was the path.”

Powell added, “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.”

Powell’s logic essentially has been confirmed, with the Heat after the Antetokounmpo trade immediately seeking players with a Powell-like skill set but at lesser cost, having signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to a $6 million deal for next season and now exploring similar spending for the likes of Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan and Bradley Beal, left with only about $10 million in spending space below their hard cap.

The money became particularly tight when Andrew Wiggins opted to return for the full salary he was due for 2026-27, and with Nikola Jovic only this coming season beginning his extension off his rookie-scale contract.

“They could’ve made moves and done things if they wanted to,” Powell said. “Obviously, Wiggs would have had to opt out and take less than his $30 (million) and they would have had to move Niko. 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.”

In the wake of that interview, Powell found himself dealing with a social-media fallout, including the perception of Portis standing between himself and a Heat return.

“Who knew I could get twitter jumping?” Powell posted. “Might need to get on more often.”

Portis made his feelings clear in a follow-up post.

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“Yo, Norm,” Portis posted. ‘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.”

Portis won an NBA championship with the Bucks in 2021, with Powell winning the 2019 title with the Toronto Raptors.

Powell quickly attempted to clear that air, with a post of, “You my dawg brotha always supporting. You wanna chop it up.  Hit my line directly. Class of 2015 still hoopin.”

Powell also clarified his respect for the Heat and the franchise’s legacy of players such as Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade.

“Just know what was told to me.  And what went down,” Powell posted. “Appreciate Zo and Dwade with my time down there. I don’t have no hard feelings. But apparently fans do. I know the business of basketball.”